From the shadows...
by Weijyan
Summary: Strange things are happening to the warriors of Japan. What is happening and can anybody stop it?
1. Torment

Chapter 1 - Torment.  
  
Smoke swirls in a dull gray shapelessness. A figure spins and falls through the colourless abyss. A dull gray landscape, blending into the smoky surroundings, appears before the figure. He slams head-first into the ground, bouncing and skidding several feet before stopping.  
  
"Che." the figure mutters, pushing himself to his hands and knees, forcing himself up. "That hurt."  
  
As he stands, he surveys the area around him.   
  
"Oi!" he yells. "Why does this place look familiar?"  
  
He looks around, trying to figure out what's happening. The churning of the river plays loudly around him, yet he could not see it. Then he saw it.  
  
"Zanbatou..." It comes out, barely a whisper. "Demo..." he starts, confused, as he bends, picking up the large sword.  
  
Suddenly, a series of devastating blows rains against his body, forcing him to the ground.  
  
"Ryu-son-sen." he hears a familiar voice say with unfamiliar disdain.  
  
Everything fades, then pulses back into being. He finds himself standing, turning zanbatou over head as fast as he can. A great rage fills him as he leaps for his target, still unseen.  
  
"Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu."   
  
It rings out from above and he suddenly realizes why it seems so familiar.  
  
"Ryu-tsui-sen."  
  
A sudden devastating blow crashes into him on the head, sending him to the ground.  
  
"Nani?" he says softly. "This is not how it happened. I didn't fall yet."  
  
"Zanza." he hears Kenshins voice, colder and more harsh than he remembers it being that day, dripping with disdain. "Pathetic, that was."  
  
"Masaka.." Sanosuke manages to utter. "This never happened..."  
  
"You do not belong here, Zanza." Kenshin emphasizes his dislike in the word 'Zanza'. "You are not good enough. You never were. You never will be."  
  
"You are not even worth the effort of drawing my blade."  
  
The rurouni's words echo in the blackness that engulfs Sanosuke.  
  
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"Oi! Ahou!"  
  
The dull gray world returns to him as he hears Saitou's voice. Sanosuke looks around, trying to figure out what was going on.  
  
Nani? he thinks. I am in the Akabeko? But I was just at the river fighting Kenshin.  
  
"Kono-baka, What do you want?"  
  
Saitou Hajime steps around a corner and into view. The smoke still obscures the area outside the building.  
  
"The question is, tori, what are you doing here?" Saitou's voice is cold as ever.  
  
"Nani?" The ex-gangster says, trying to make sense of what was happening.  
  
"Do you think running around with the battousai will make you good enough to fight by his side? Honto?" Saitou taunts, tapping him in the chest, still bruised from the fight with Kenshin.   
  
"Or, me?" he adds.  
  
"Teme! What are you about? What's going on?"  
  
The silence is deafening as Saitou looks on in obvious amusement.  
  
"Simple, ahou. This is your wake up." Saitou steps closer. "You don't belong here."  
  
"Don't belong?!" Sanosuke roars.   
  
His temper gets the better of him. With a wordless roar, he lunges forward, throwing his right shoulder forth, pushing his fist, with all of his considerable strength behind it, at Saitou. Saitou easily dodges the punch, slipping only far enough back to avoid the strike.  
  
"Sloppy, rooster." Saitou admonishes. "You have no control, no discipline."  
  
Sanosuke roars louder, launching a massive back fist at his tormentor. Saitou, again, easily avoids the strike, ducking below the extended arm. Sanosuke feels the sudden explosion of sharp pain as Saitou rams the fuchi kashira of his katana into Sanosuke's stomach.   
  
"We've had this talk before, ne? Still no defense."  
  
Saitou steps to the left of the stunned Sanosuke. The inspectors still sheathed sword cracks hard against the former gangsters forehead. His head, already injured in the fight with Kenshin, cannot take the precision strike and he falls to his knees.  
  
"You are not worth the effort of drawing my blade."  
  
Saitou's words echo Kenshins as the world goes black around Sanosuke.  
  
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When Sanosuke can once more open his eye, he finds he is no longer in the Akabeko. In fact, he is not even in Tokyo.  
  
"Kyoto?" he mutters to himself, trying to clear his head.  
  
"Aa."  
  
Sanosuke spins, to fast, to the sound. As soon as the world stops spinning, he sees Aoshi.  
  
"What are you doing here, Sanosuke?" Aoshi asks.  
  
"Aa. Good question." Sanosuke replies. "I don't remember leaving Tokyo."  
  
The world still has the gray dullness to it, but the obscuring smoke has dissipated. Unlike Kenshin and Saitou, Aoshi, at least, was still acting as he always does.  
  
"Not that." Aoshi says. Sanosuke's stomach turns and sinks with that, guessing what Aoshi will say next. "Why do you insist on weighing the battousai down? You do not belong . You are beneath, even, Yahiko. At least Yahiko has the potential to become great."  
  
Sanosuke growls loudly.  
  
"You are not at our level, Sanosuke. You never were. You never will be."  
  
"Let me guess!" Sanosuke yells, unable to control himself any longer. "I am not worth the effort to draw your blade, ne?"  
  
Aoshi's eyes narrow, his lips twitch, and, in the time it took Sanosuke to blink, Aoshi was gone. Sanosuke begins to smile, thinking things were turning around for him, when he hears Aoshi from behind.  
  
"Oi, baka."  
  
Sanosuke turns to face Aoshi. The man wears an uncharacteristic smile.  
  
"Baka-yarou." he sneers. "Too stupid, even, to know when he is dead."  
  
It is then, that Sanosuke notices the bloody kodachi in the assassins hand and feels the warmth leaving his stomach.  
  
"Iie..." Sanosuke mutters, vainly trying to hold his life-blood with-in his stomach. He feels the strength leaving his body. "Iie.." he croaks, even as he falls.  
  
Landing face first on the stone paving, Sanosuke hears a loud crack as he hits.  
  
Probably my neck, he thinks, strangely detached, judging from how I fell. So, this is how it ends for Sagara Sanosuke..  
  
Even as that thought enters his mind, the world dims around him, finally going black. Even as that though enters his mind, Sagara Sanosuke dies. 


	2. It begins..

Chapter 2: It begins...  
  
The cool night breeze caresses the mountain side as nature begins to prepare for the cold months ahead. A dark figure, moving quietly through the mountain, does not seem to notice as he skirts the strange village in the valley below. He has spent several hours observing the village that has been appearing to him in his strange, tormented dreams for the last eight nights.  
  
During that time, he found that he was not the only one watching, and waiting. Likely, the other observer had spotted him, as well. At least, it was safest to assume so.  
  
With that assumption in mind, he begins to move with expert silence towards the distant watcher and notices that the other was doing the same.  
  
As they neared, the two recognized each other.   
  
"Saitou Hajime." It was an observation, not a question.   
  
Saitou's lips twitched upward slightly, knowing the voice immediately.   
  
"Shinomori Aoshi." the inspector says, in way of greeting.  
  
"Why are you here?" Aoshi asks softly.  
  
Saitou bristles at the question, the same one that has been tormenting him in his sleep for the last eight nights. Aoshi notices the reaction and merely nods. He, too, has been having dreams of this place, been haunted by that question. That is, in fact, why he asked, hoping for the same reaction. In his own way, he has just told the inspector and former Shinsen Gumi that they were there for the same reason. Saitou calms quickly and returns the nod.   
  
"How long have you been here?" Saitou asks.  
  
"Since this time yesterday."  
  
"Aa. I have only been here a few hours. What have you seen?"  
  
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"Che! These dreams are going to drive me nuts!"  
  
The voice rips through the Kamiya Dojo.   
  
"Maa, maa. Calm down, Sanosuke." Kenshin says, hoping to calm his large friend. "We have been having the dreams, too."  
  
Kaoru nods as Megumi brings tea, mixed with herbs to try to calm the large Sanosuke.  
  
"I know, Jou-chan. That does not make it easier!"  
  
"What do you think, Megumi-dono?" Kenshin asks the woman doctor.  
  
"I'm not sure." she answers. "I have heard of fighters, especially those who have faced things like you all have, having these dreams. They are usually your conscious trying to make you see something. Demo..." she hesitates for am moment. "All of you having similar dreams at the same time?"  
  
"Hai. Do we know we are the only ones?" Kaoru asks.  
  
"Hai, tanuki-onna. At least in Tokyo that I have found."  
  
"Why us?" Kaoru asks, before realizing what Megumi called her. "Raccoon-woman?!"  
  
"Dame!"  
  
Kenshin's voice rings through the dojo. The two woman turn, shocked at Kenshin's outburst.  
  
"We need to find out why we are having these dreams. We can fight later."  
  
Kenshin was right, of course, and the others realize it.   
  
"Hai, Megumi-san. What do you think?"  
  
Megumi cups her chin in her hand as she thinks.  
  
"Medicine of the mind is not my strong point, but.." she closes her eyes, remembering back to when she was growing up around medicine, soaking up anything she could.  
  
"Shishio was the last battle you fought, iie?" Everybody nods.  
  
"Chikusho! I knew it! That bastard found a way to haunt us!"  
  
Kaoru chuckles softly at Sanosuke's conclusion, remembering the train ride to Kyoto they all took a few years ago. "Sano, we know you are... superstitious, but ghosts?"  
  
"Aa. Stop laughing, kisama!"   
  
Megumi forces herself not to laugh at Sanosuke's beliefs. She is a doctor, after all, and Sanosuke is a patient.. sort of..  
  
"I think it is more like your mind playing through things you saw, or thought you saw, during that battle. It was a very trying time for everyone."  
  
"Iie. Then what about the village?" Sanosuke asks, a gleam of victory in his eyes.  
  
"Village? Tell me about it."  
  
The look of victory fades slightly from his eyes, but Sanosuke sits down on the dojo floor.  
  
"I am in this strange village, wondering aimlessly. It is in a valley in the middle of no-where. Suddenly, there is Jou-chan and Yahiko-chan in front of me. They insult me, taunt me, like Kenshin, Aoshi, and Saitou do in the other dream. But, when I am in the village, I have the power to destroy everyone. Saitou, Aoshi, even Kenshin. I can feel it."  
  
The superior look returns to his face. "Explain that, fox-lady."  
  
Megumi keeps her eyes closed through Sanosuke's entire explanation, ignoring the slight barb at the end.  
  
"Ken-san's sword was broken in a small village, iie?"  
  
"Aa. Demo, I was not there for that."  
  
"Which is why the village seems strange to you." Megumi replies quickly. "It is likely that it is just many small villages you have been in during your life. Your mind put them together to represent the village Kenshin's sword was destroyed in."  
  
"But, why would I dream about it?"  
  
"You feel guilty for not being there. You think that you could have done something that Saitou either could not have done, or did not do."  
  
"Kuso! That cannot be it!" Sanosuke stands quickly and walks out of Kamiya Dojo, intent on finding some sake to help him sleep the night away.  
  
They watch quietly as Sanosuke leaves, then Kenshin turns to Megumi.  
  
"Do you really think that is it, Megumi-dono?" he asks.  
  
She looks down, shaking her head slightly. "I don't know. I can explain the dreams away all you want, but I can't explain why you three are having them at the same time." She cups her chin in her hand again. "Who else was there?"  
  
Kenshin begins to count off who all was there. "Myself, Kaoru-dono, Sanosuke-san, Yahiko-chan, Saitou-san, Aoshi-san, and Misao-chan."  
  
"Have you spoken to any of the others about it?"  
  
"Iie, just Yahiko-chan. He has not had any of the dreams."  
  
"Perhaps you should. There may be something there."  
  
"You mean you think Sanosuke's right?" Kaoru was surprised by this. "I never thought I would see you two agree on anything."  
  
Megumi could only shrug, at a loss for answers.  
  
"Aa." Kenshin says, standing. "I will go to talk to Saitou."  
  
"Iie, Kenshin." Kaoru pleads. "Your wounds still haven't healed from the battles with Shishio."  
  
"I must." Kenshin begins walking out of Kamiya Dojo.  
  
"Kaoru-san." Megumi puts her hand gently on Kaoru's shoulder. "Go with him. I will write Misao-chan." 


	3. Village raid

Chapter 3: Village raid  
  
The footfalls sound loud to Saitou's ear. He winces and forces himself to take another step. Again, the step sounds deafening to his trained ears.  
  
Kuso, he thinks to himself, What does it take to catch their attention?   
  
He continues walking into town, making as much noise as he can bring himself to. He steps up behind a pair of guards. Their clothing is torn and their weapons carry more rust than all of Shinsen Gumi ever had put together. Standing less than a hairs breath from them, he cannot help but think how easy it would be to slit their throats. Instead, he clears his.  
  
They turn with a start and stare dumbfounded for a moment, then shake out of it and snap to attention. Saitou raise his eyebrow at this.  
  
"What are you doing?" he asks. Before he gets an answer, though, he hears movement from behind.   
  
"Oi," he hears someone from behind him yell. "I thought I heard someone sneaking around back there!"  
  
"Sneaking?" Saitou asks, incredulously, turning to see four more guards rounding the corner. "I was making enough noise to call an army."   
  
"Who are you?" one of them demands, then turns to the others. "Stop that! He isn't one of us, morons!"  
  
"I am Fujita Goro." Saitou answers. "Who were you expecting?"  
  
"Atarashiikami said our new lieutenant would be coming soon."   
  
Saitou's eyebrow raises even farther. I cannot believe these baka. They cannot hold any secrets! Can they really be that stupid?  
  
"Who is Atarashiikami?"  
  
"Ano.." the apparent leader says. "Why are you here?"  
  
Saitou hesitates for a moment, but does not flinch like he did earlier with Aoshi. He has already let himself slip once today. Twice would be unforgivable. Slips, in his work, could be fatal. To answer the question, Saitou uses one word to summarize the dreams that brought him here.  
  
"Power."  
  
The rest of them nod, knowing the pull of the dreams that they gave into. They fully accept that he has given into them, too. Again, Saitou asks his question.  
  
"Who is Atarashiikami?"  
  
"Atarashiikami Okashiro." one of them answers. "He is our lord. He promised to bring back a time when we could do as we please as warriors."  
  
"And where can I find this 'Atarashiikami Okashiro'?"  
  
The fighters exchange glances, then one speaks. "We can't say. He left and one of our lieutenants is supposed to know where he will be."  
  
"Who is the lieutenant you are expecting?"  
  
"Shinomori Aoshi."  
  
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Jumping from roof top to roof top, the Oniwabanshuu shadows Saitou as he attempts to get caught.  
  
I cannot believe how lax these kuso-atama are. They could not catch a cold. Finally, Saitou walks right up to a pair of guards. At first, it looks like the Shinsen Gumi turned inspector was going to simply slit their throats.   
  
It would serve them right. An army could march heavy cavalry through here and not be caught.  
  
He sits, watches, and listens to the entire conversation with these fighters. When he hears his name spoken, though, decides it is time to speak personally with them. In a silent blur of motion, he leaps from the roof top, landing behind a startled guard.  
  
"Konnichiwa, Shinomori."  
  
The warriors turn, the blood draining from their face, as Saitou greets Aoshi.  
  
"You are here to join us, ne?" one of them asks, hopefully.  
  
"Damaru." Aoshi replies. "Where is this Atarashiikami Okashiro?"  
  
"Ano..."  
  
Aoshi's kodachi leaves its sheath, tracing an arch so fast that none of the young fighters could see it. The guard that he was speaking to suddenly gasps, clutching his throat. Even as he is collapsing to the ground, Aoshi asks his question again.  
  
"Where is Atarashiikami Okashiro?"  
  
"Kuso!!" The guards scramble, yelling for more guards.  
  
Saitou merely looks at Aoshi for a moment with a look on his face that said "Good job." Saitou breaks left, Aoshi to the right.   
  
Aoshi bounces to the right, then, as soon as his foot touches, changes directions to the left. His kodachi arching across at waist level, digs deeply into the side of the first fighter, catching on a rib. The second fighter, just left of the first, turns. Seeing their attackers back to him, he sees his chance. His katana leave its scabbard and he flings himself at the ninja. Aoshi seems to move inperseptively , his large coat hiding his movement. The warrior continues in, unaware of his impending doom.  
  
With a movement that seems sudden, Aoshi's second kodachi leaps from its sheath, into Aoshi's left hand, through is coat, and into the charging warriors chest. A subtle movement of the head keeps Aoshi from the warriors blade, as it passes over his shoulder, with-in hairs breath of his face. Pulling his blades free from the bodies, he looks around to ensure the lack of a future attack. He cleans his blades on the body of one of the slain warriors before resheathing them.  
  
Saitou had his first target dead before he had taken three steps. Mibu's Wolf left him to fall with a gapping whole in his throat. Another three steps running and a downward slash drops his second target.  
  
I'll make sure he's dead after I make sure this one does not alert the others.   
  
He continues with-out slowing. Taking careful aim, even while running, Saitou let his katana fly. "Gyk.." followed by a soft thud was the only sounds as the blade pierces, first, the warriors throat, and second, the corner of a building, holding the warrior upright. Saitou looks around, checking for witnesses. Grabbing a handful of hair, he hold the body up as he pulls his blade free. After carefully laying the body to the ground, he returns to make sure his second target would never rise again.  
  
Returning to meet Aoshi, he finds the Oniwabanshuu leaning against a building, holding his chest. A pained look crosses his face.   
  
"Oi, don't tell me you are wounded already. We have barely begun this raid."  
  
"Iie."  
  
"Your recent battle with the battousai?" Saitou asks, determined to know how his impromptu partner is hurt.  
  
Again, Aoshi only replies, "Iie."  
  
"What then?"  
  
"Misao-chan just gave me this coat." His left hand slides down the outside of the coat, grabbing and turning it to show the inside lining. His fingers show through where his kodachi had pierced it. "Misao-chan is going to kill me." 


	4. Preparations

Chapter 4: Preparations.   
  
"Suminasen, Himura-san. Saitou Hajime is not here."  
  
The commissioner had seen them as soon as they arrived. He had been surprised to see Himura Kenshin and Kamiya Kaoru so soon after the battle with Shishio. They had both been wounded, Kenshin more so than Kaoru, and he had not expected to see either of them for several weeks. Unfortunately, he seemed to have no answers that the pair had wanted to hear.  
  
"Do you know when he will return?" Kenshin asks.  
  
"Iie. He muttered something about a village, then left later that day. He has been away from Tokyo for eight days."  
  
Kaoru gasps at the reference to the village despite herself. Kawaji looks to Kaoru with a perturbed look crossing his face. He jabs a finger at Kaoru.  
  
"If you know something, you had better tell me!" he yells.  
  
Kaoru angers visibly, taking a menacing step towards Commissioner Kawaji. Kenshin steps in front of her quickly.  
  
"Maa, maa, Kaoru-dono. The Commissioner is just worried about Saitou." He turns to Kawaji. "Arigatou, Commissioner Kawaji. We will leave you to your work."  
  
"Ano.." Kawaji starts as Kenshin begins to pull Kaoru through the door. Kenshin turn to the Commissioner. "If you have any information, I can assign some officers to assist you." he continues pensively. "About my out-burst, gomen nasai."  
  
Kenshin nods and thinks for a moment. "We still have injuries from the fight with Shishio." Kenshin starts. "A carriage would be useful."  
  
Kawaji nods immediately. "There will be one at the Kamiya Dojo before night fall."  
  
"Arigatou, Kawaji-san."   
  
Kenshin bows formally, then walks out the door, leaving Kaoru glaring at the commissioner. A hand reaches back through the door, grabbing the back of Kaoru's kimono and pulling her gently from the room.   
  
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A dark figure sits in the shadows, watching the reactions of the warriors.  
  
These baka-yarou are not even worth this effort. The Shinsen Gumi would destroy this village in the time it take an eye to blink.   
  
The warriors had found the bodies of the six slain earlier by himself and Aoshi. They were in the process of searching the village even as Saitou sat watching. As soon as the search died down, he was planning to slid into the village to see what he could find.  
  
On the other side of the village, Shinomori Aoshi sits, likewise hidden in shadows, watching the warriors searching for him and Saitou. They had broken off the raid after Aoshi had aggravated the injury he had received from the battousai just weeks ago. He could not admit that he had been so severely injured, so, in his pain, he made an uncharacteristic joke about Misao-chan being mad at him as the reason for his pained expression. The bodies were found moments later and they had been tearing the village apart for hours since.   
  
What had happened to the actual villages was yet to be determined. All either of them had seen so far were the fighters that seem to inhabit the town now. All either of them could do was wait for the excitement to die down before entering again.  
  
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"Oi, Jou-chan! Where's Kenshin?"   
  
Sanosuke's voice can be heard easily as he walks through the gate. Kaoru was standing on the wooden stairs to her home, speaking with Megumi, and looks up.  
  
"He's inside, Sano." She returns.  
  
"Arigatou." he says as he quickly moves past her into the dojo.   
  
"Konnichiwa, Sanosuke-san." Kenshin says as Sano enters. Kenshin is re-wrapping his injuries from Shishio. "It is good to see you, that it is." he says with a large smile.  
  
"Aa." Sanosuke says, then gets straight to the point. "Something's going on, Kenshin. Fighters from all over town have disappeared." Kenshin looks at Sano with a curious expression. "Hai, hai, no one will really miss them, but many talked about a mysterious village where they would gain power before leaving!"  
  
Kenshin rubs his chin thoughtfully. "Aa. It is a good thing I planned for you to go with us."  
  
"Nani?" Sanosuke asks, confused.   
  
"Saitou left Tokyo a couple days after our dreams started." Kenshin says. "He mentioned a village."  
  
"Aa." Sanosuke repeats. "You couldn't keep me away from this." he says, cracking his knuckles, a pleased smile on his face. "Oi!" he yells suddenly. "Does this mean you aren't planning to try to sneak out to fight this on you own this time?"  
  
"Aa." the rurouni replies. "Like I could keep you or Kaoru-dono away."  
  
"Aa. You finally get smart." Sano smiles briefly, then a thought occurs to him. "What about Yahiko?"  
  
"His injuries were severe. I hope to leave him with Megumi-dono."  
  
"Oi!" a voice yells from behind. "Not a chance I'm staying with the fox-woman!"  
  
"Maa, maa, Yahiko-chan." Kenshin says, trying to calm the youth. "You have been too badly hurt. You need rest. Megumi-dono would agree."  
  
"Hai, she would." a feminine voice sounds from the tobira.   
  
Kenshin and Sanosuke turn to see Megumi standing at the entrance. Sano smacks his forehead.  
  
"What is this, a party?"  
  
"You should be happy I came." she says. "Some one needs to talk you out of your stupidity. All of you. You haven't even rested up from the Shishio incident!"  
  
Kenshin looks into her eyes. "Aa, Megumi-dono. That is true. But this needs done. I can feel it. So can Sanosuke-san and Kaoru-dono. Even Saitou can feel it."  
  
The woman doctor gasps at the name, remembering watching Saitou and Kenshin battle inside the Kamiya Dojo. He had attacked Sanosuke earlier that day, stabbing him through the shoulder and breaking his blade off with-in the wound, leaving the fighter to die. The fight was brutal to watch, with both warriors forgetting that they were in the dojo, even in the Meiji era. Their minds were back in the revolution, where the two had last seen each other and had battled on opposing sides. During that fight, Kenshin had put away his ways as Himura Kenshin, a rurouni who had vowed not to kill. He was, once again, Himura Battousai, the revolutions most feared assassin. They were reliving that battle, eleven long years before, that was interrupted.   
  
That was the scariest that Megumi could ever remember being. Not for her personal safety, so much, as for losing Kenshin. Even if he had won the battle, it seemed Kenshin would be lost to the battousai with-in him.  
  
"I'll never understand how you two worked together long enough to stop that maniac in Kyoto. But, kuso, how could you go talk to him?" Megumi asks, before she thinks about it.  
  
The two warriors look at Megumi in surprise at her unwomanly out-burst. It is unusual for her to forget her manners with-out the constant taunts of Sanosuke.  
  
"Oro?" Sanosuke joins Kenshin in what has become his personal habit. Kenshin is the only person any of them have ever heard using it in this way.  
  
"Saitou was not there." Kenshin says quickly. "He had already left for our mysterious village."  
  
"I see." Megumi says, rubbing her chin. "Good. " she says after a moment of silence. "Leave it to that baka-yarou."  
  
"Megumi-dono." Kenshin says softly. "We have to go."  
  
"Then I have to go with you." she says. Both warriors look at her, a surprised look on their face. "Both of you are too stubborn to mind your wounds, then some one will have to."  
  
"Oi," Sanosuke says, "Jou-chan is coming. She can mind Kenshins wounds." The smirk on his face shows what he means.   
  
A bokken cracks against the back of his head, knocking him to the dojo floor.  
  
"Good hit, tanuki-onna." Yahiko says, laughing hard.  
  
"Keep it up, Yahiko," Kaoru says, "and you're next."  
  
"I guess that's settle, then." Megumi says before Yahiko can farther insult Kaoru. "We all go."  
  
"Oro...." Kenshin sighs as Sanosuke gets up and begins arguing with the women. The rurouni turns and walks away with one thought crossing his mind. It is a good thing I requested that carriage, that it is. 


	5. Strange things

Chapter 5: Strange things  
  
Dark eyes watch from the shadows as the two from before begin their movements into the village from their shadowy hiding places. They had done this once before, but with-drew, from a fight it seemed the could easily win, for a reason the observer did not know. Moving with the silence and speed that surpasses those being observed, the stranger keeps the two invaders in sight with-out leaving the shelter of shadows.  
  
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Aoshi darts in from the shadows surrounding the village with his accustomed speed and stealth. Neither of them really knew what they were looking for, but he and Saitou were determined to find some clues to why they were being drawn to this village by this "Atarashiikami".   
  
Sliding in through a window, Aoshi finds himself in a warehouse filled with bundles of various materials. Searching the bundles, he finds nothing but rice and farming supplies. Checking the door, he slips out and across to the next building.  
  
And on it goes for hours, searching building by building for some hint, some clue about what was going on here. Occasionally, Aoshi would have the feeling of being watched. Unable to find who or what was watching him, he simply continues his search.  
  
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Saitou slipped into the village at the same time as Aoshi did from the other side. He, too, had the occasional feel of being watched, but was, likewise, unable to find the source. He did, however, find the fate of the townspeople.   
  
The fourth building he checked contained a bloody pile of body parts. From inspecting the remains, it seems he found a clue to the scenario as a whole.  
  
Sacrifice. he thinks with disgust. It seems we have a cult here. As he studies the remains, three words keep coming to his mind. Aku. Soku. Zan. These were the motto of the Shinsen Gumi, the driving factor of the justice he enforced then, and still does now. Slay evil immediately. he thinks, knowing what he has to do.  
  
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Some time later, just before dawn, the two met back up outside the village. Saitou tells Aoshi what he found.  
  
"Aa." Aoshi says. "The village does need purged."  
  
"Sono tori. Shall we?"  
  
Aoshi just nods, drawing his two kodachi, preparing for the fight to come. The odds could be better. During their last run in, they counted almost twenty warriors between the two of them. They have no way of knowing how skilled they are. The Oniwabanshuu prefers, of course, to know who he's fighting, but he can adapt. Besides, they have no way of knowing how many of the twenty counted were counted by both. For that matter, there could be some that were counted by neither. A soft sigh escapes his lips.  
  
"Having second thoughts?" Saitou asks.  
  
Aoshi gives him a dirty look, then charges from the shadows, looking for his first target.  
  
"My, my." Saitou murmurs to himself as he follows Aoshi. "It seems that I may have hit a nerve." A slight smirk crosses his lips as he draws his katana, picking his first target.  
  
Shinomori and Saitou spit up, hoping to cause enough confusion among the warriors, who obviously lack much of the training needed for an army, to keep them all from attacking in any organized fashion. Skidding under a backhand swipe of a sword, Aoshi bounds back to his feet, planting each kodachi into a different enemy. Drawing his blades back from the bodies, he is just in time to block a downward swipe from the blade he just ducked. The second kodachi finds the attackers heart with ease.  
  
Across the village, Saitou dances through a handful of warriors, leaving most dead and more wounded. Blocking a strike from a yari, he quickly turns it into a strike of his own, thrusting the blade through the chest of one enemy and into the neck of the fighter behind him. As he withdraws his blade, forcefully, from the bodies, he hears sounds behind him.  
  
The sound of fast, hard movements behind him, accompanied by the screams of the dying, draw his attention. As he turns his head, a blur of dark leather vanishes behind a building, leaving three riflemen dead. Aoshi. he thinks, figuring the leather he saw to be the ninja's coat standing behind him as he ran. This thought lasts only as long as it takes to look through the village opening to see Aoshi across the village, battling four warriors.  
  
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Aoshi nods as Saitou mentions the strange encounter with the riflemen. It has been almost an hour since the cultists who occupied the village had fled, leaving sixteen of their dead behind. The battle had been disappointingly short, by Saitou's thoughts, but the new mystery helper left them something else to think about.  
  
They had both searched the area and neither could find any tracks that did not belong to the three riflemen who lay dead. The tracks of their killer were not to be found. Their wounds were obviously from a bladed weapon, similar to a katana. No arrows or shot were to be found, leaving out the possibility they were taken down by rifles or bow. The range they were at, Saitou would not have been able to reach them in time to keep from being shot.  
  
With no clues left, there was nothing left to do but take care of the dead. The warrior bodies were tossed into a building across from where the villagers remains were. Setting fire to these two buildings first, they proceeded to burn the whole of the village. The entire time, they could not rid themselves of the feel of being watched. Suspecting that it was members of the cult returning for revenge, Aoshi slipped out of the village and circled around, trying to find their observer.  
  
By dawn, Aoshi had circled the entire village, finding no clue towards their mystery observer. The village was well on its way to being completely gone from this world, so the two decided to get some much needed rest. Finding two separate places to rest, they quickly fell asleep, staying so for the majority of the day.  
  
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Dark eyes watch the two as they burn the village, then as one of them slips out of the village, trying to circle around unseen. A wry smile plays across the observers dark lips, enjoying this little game of cat and mouse. Moving quickly, the figure changes positions, watching as the coated invader comes closer.   
  
His skill at stealth is admirable. he thinks, watching the figure move through, stopping right where he had been sitting for the last couple hours watching. He probably has no idea how close he is. the shadowed figure thinks as the man comes with-in arms reach, then begins moving away, equally stealthy.  
  
Yes, he thinks, I think I chose the right allies. The wry grin plays across his dark lips once more.  
  
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The carriage travels quickly through the countryside, not really knowing where it is going, simply following the feelings of the passengers. The interior is more crowded than they had planned. Originally, it was only to be Kenshin, Kaoru, and Sanosuke to go, but Yahiko and Megumi were not going to be left behind.  
  
"Che!" Sano yells, as the driver hits yet another deep rut. "How about watching where you're going up there!"  
  
"Maa, maa, Sanosuke-san. She is not doing it on purpose." Kenshin interjects.  
  
"Bullshit!" Sanosuke yells. "Who ever heard of a woman coach driver, anyway?" he more yells than asks. This, of course, results in both Kaoru and Megumi pounding on him.   
  
Yahiko, who has been staring out of the carriage the entire time, simply ignores the latest fight. They had been on the road for several hours, and the sun had just risen a couple hours before. He couldn't explain why, but Yahiko just knew, instinctively, that he had to watch the woods. A slight movement of colour that doesn't belong catches his attention.  
  
"Nani?"  
  
"What is it, Yahiko-san?"   
  
Yahiko notes the change in the way Kenshin refers to him. I guess I earned a new respect from him during the fight in Kyoto. he thinks.  
  
"I'm not sure. I think I saw something."  
  
Staring harder, he sees it again. A strange looking creature, its skin golden as the sun and dressed in fancy looking cloths of similar colour was following them. "What ever it is," Yahiko tell Kenshin, "I don't think it's human." 


	6. Encounter with strange creatures

Chapter 6: Encounter with the strange creatures  
  
Kenshin looks out at what-ever it was that Yahiko spotted. Despite the golden colour of their skin and clothing, their stealth seems to rival that of the Oniwabanshuu masters. It took Kenshin several moments to notice the strange creature.   
  
"Aa." the former battousai says softly. "Yatta, Yahiko-san." He elbows Sanosuke hard in the ribs, to get his attention away from the ladies.  
  
"Oi! Kenshin! Not you, too."  
  
"Iie, Sanosuke. There is something out there."  
  
That caught everybody's attention, ending the fight immediately. "Something?" Kaoru repeats, curious.  
  
"Aa. Yahiko-san noticed it."  
  
"So." Yahiko asks. "What do we do, now that we know it is out there."  
  
"What is 'it'?" Megumi asks, looking through the window of the carriage curiously.  
  
"Ano......"  
  
"You don't know?"  
  
"Iie." Yahiko says. "It doesn't even look human."  
  
"What!?" Sanosuke, Kaoru, and Megumi all say in unison.  
  
Kenshin leans out the window opposite of the 'thing' Yahiko spotted, telling the driver to stop at the next creak to water the horses. The driver starts to protest, telling her passenger that they don't need it yet, but the look in his eyes stops her before she can start.  
  
Reaching a small stream a short distance a way, the driver stops the horses, taking the horses to the water to drink. As the horses drink lightly, Kenshin steps out of the carriage, followed shortly by the others. Stepping to the back of the coach, he surveys the area, trying to once more find the creatures they had spotted while moving.  
  
"Oi!" Sanosuke yells loud enough to momentarily startle the horses, who had barely drank anything at all. "We know you're there! Come out and face us like men!"  
  
"Sanosuke.." Kenshin starts, before a light laughter carries over to him.  
  
"Even if we are not men?" The voice is as musical as it is light, but there is a definite masculinity to it. From the woods less then fifty feet away, the strange creature steps out. It stands a little taller than Kenshin, but shorter than Sanosuke. It's long, golden hair is tied back and hangs to his waist. It's clothing, which looks like silk at this range, is heavily embroidered. A strange looking iron mallet is hanging from the sash at it's waist. It's long ears end high and pointed.  
  
"Akuma!" Sanosuke yells. The thing looks at him odd, then looks like it is going to say something more. Sanosuke, though, doesn't give it a chance. With a roar born of his superstitions, he charges the creature, who quickly dodges out of the way, returning the attempted strike with a backhand that knocks Sano from his feet.  
  
Sano rolls with the hit, coming to his feet several feet away. That's when he notices another pair of eyes in the woods.  
  
"Kuso!" he yells. "There are two!"   
  
As if acknowledging being seen, it, too, steps from it's hiding place, placing Sanosuke right between it and the first. It resembles the first, but this one wears a green cloak of coarse material, as well as strange looking daggers strapped to its belt. The second one adopts a combative posture, which put everybody on edge. Kaoru and Yahiko grab their bokkens, while Kenshin draws his reverse-blade sword.   
  
Normally, I would try to settle this with-out combat, Kenshin thinks, but they seem highly trained and we can't afford to risk it right now.  
  
Sanosuke levels the second creature with a swift punch to the face. As small as they are, this should be easy. he thinks.   
  
Even as the though enters his mind, the iron mallet hits him from behind, dropping him instantly. Seeing the strange creature standing over his friend, Kenshin uses the speed at his disposal, connecting with a simple, yet powerful blow to the side of the creature.   
  
Even as the first falls, the second stands. Eyeing his companions prone body with shock, it turns and runs three steps, then jumps. Yahiko laughs at first, then the creature seems to sprout large, white feathery wings from under it's course green cloak. It's new found wings carry it way quickly.  
  
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The ride continues roughly, though they are not sure why. Late the night before, the dreams of the village had ceased, as had the feel of where it was. Still, they continue on, hoping to find something.   
  
By the time the creature awakens, it has been bound tightly and sits inside the already cramped cabin. Despite its strange appearance, even Kenshin had to admit that there was a strange beauty to it, much like a pristine lake, unseen by mankind for centuries.  
  
"What are you?" Kenshin asks, not even opening his eyes to see that the creature had woken up. Everyone else let out a slight gasp at realizing that the creature was awake. Sanosuke, who had refused to sit next to it, sat, instead, across from it, with Kenshin at its side.  
  
"I believe your people would call us Seishin Minzoku." Its voice is like water playing through a gentle stream, yet it carries a distinct discourse to it. "What did you yarou do to my companion?" it asks scornfully. "I suppose you simply tossed his body in the creak."  
  
Sanosuke looks like he is about to hit the creature again, when Kenshin speaks up. "Why would you think that?" Kenshin asks.  
  
The creature snorts, an odd sound coming from the creature. "That is the way of your people, is it not? You attack with-out reason. You kill with-out reason."  
  
"Not Kenshin!" Yahiko shouts at it.  
  
"Aa." The creature looks over to the speak, Sanosuke, with disgust in its eyes. "It flew away like the demon it is."  
  
"Demon?" it asks, incredulously, before mumbling something about a backwards race.  
  
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As the sun sets, the second creature lands, firmly exhausted, at a cave entrance. Walking into the cave, he tries to find what he will say to his master. Folding his wings and slipping through the entrance, he works his way through the cave, passing a young woman of the same people as him. If the males of the race are beautiful, then the women are nearly perfect. Nodding to her as he passes, he quickly finds who he's looking for.  
  
A large human stands before him, clad in the heavy armour of the Europeans from years past.  
  
"Shireikan." he starts softly. The human turns to him. "The ones you had us observing attacked us."  
  
"Nani!?" the commander shouts, his voice echoing from the walls strongly contrasting the soft, musical voice of his officer. "Are you alright?"  
  
"Aa." he answers softly. "But I saw them fell Hokasekai."  
  
Anger courses through the commanders body as he takes this in.  
  
"Which one defeated Shudoshi?" The sudden voice caused the reporting officer to jump. The voice, musical and soft like his own, yet with a tone about it that scared even his allies, could only belong to one. Taiyoryu Senshiyi steps from the shadows in which he can hide so well that not even the Seishin Minzoku could find him. His dark gray leather cloak hiding his every feature, the only things that can be seen are his signature sword and his glowing red eyes. His sword holds a curve similar to a katana, but the curve is more defined, more obvious. He does carry more weapons on him, but they are all unseen, even the full length straight blade under his cloak.  
  
"Red hair." the officer reports after getting over his initial shock. "Cross-shaped scar."  
  
The human looks over to the cloaked figure, going through his knowledge in his mind of the warriors of this land. "You think it is the rurouni?"  
  
"Aa." he says softly. "The one with the reverse-blade katana that refuses to kill."  
  
The look of relief on the officers face is obvious.   
  
"Taiyoryu, go retrieve Shudoshi. Take Yoake Noboru with you."  
  
"Hai." the cloaked one says as he disappears into the shadows of the cave.  
  
"Tengoku," the officer protests, "I should go as well."  
  
"Iie, Tejina-shi." Tengoku answers softly. "You're exhausted. Get some rest. 


	7. The "Akumu"

Chapter 7: The "Akumu"  
  
The rest of the day was relatively quiet for those riding in the carriage. The strange creature refused to speak any farther and there weren't any more encounters with it's people. The only excitement was once, Sanosuke frustrated by the creatures refusal to talk managed to get a single punch in before he was calmed down.  
  
As the carriage was looking for a place to stop for the night, Kenshin sees a subtle movement in the woods around them.  
  
Nudging the creature in the side softly to get it's attention, he asks, "What was that?"  
  
The creature smiles. This smile was not a pleasant smile that seemed to normally cross it's lips as it watched its captures fight playfully, but a foreboding one that drained the blood from Megumi's face just looking at it.  
  
"The Akumu." he says softly.  
  
"The nightmare?" Yahiko asks, confused.  
  
"Aa." it answers. "The waking nightmare that frightens even his allies."  
  
"What about his friends?" Kaoru asks, not really knowing why it would be important.  
  
"What friends?" the creature returns.  
  
The five friends exchange looks mixing from out-right terror from Megumi, who's unused to this, to apprehension from Kaoru, to mild interest from Kenshin.  
  
"Che." Sano mutters. "Just what we need. A demon who scares other demons."  
  
This causes the Seishin to laugh. "You did well to see him, human." it says. "The Akumu showed himself just enough to be spotted by a Seishin. That a human saw him is amazing."  
  
Again, everybody exchanges glances, then suddenly, the carriage comes to a quick stop. Looking out the door, Kenshin can see another creature similar to the one that flew away, but definitely female.  
  
"Oro?"   
  
The Seishin looks through the small glass window that shows forward and laughs again. "Shireikan is not joking around, I see."  
  
"A girl?" Yahiko asks, disappointed.  
  
"Aa." Sanosuke's voice shows definite interest, despite her strange appearance, maybe because of it.  
  
"Be careful of that one." the Seishin says, laughing. "Even if you defeat her, if you treat her as you've treated me, your heads will be lining the Akumu's walls like the beasts you are."  
  
"She is this "Akumu's" girl?" Sano sounded positively disappointed.  
  
"Aa. You could say that."  
  
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Yoake Noboru stands before the now stopped carriage, staring at the driver. The young woman seemed about ready to crawl inside herself to escape Noboru's glare.  
  
As the door to the carriage opened, she decides it's time to speak.  
  
"You will release Shudoshi Hokasekai!" she yells to them, not asking, but, rather, informing them.  
  
"What?" she hears the boy says. The ears of the Seishin Minzoku are not the same as those of humans. Their hearing surpasses the distance humans can hear, as well as the range of sound. Its obvious to her that she is not meant to hear this. "What the hell is a Shudoshi Hokasekai?"  
  
"That would be me." Shudoshi says from with-in the carriage. She fights the urge to sigh, knowing any show of relief on her part might change how they react to her. Right now, they seem to fear her, so she intends to use that to her full advantage.  
  
"Yes," she yells. "That would be him! You will release him." She stresses will as she speaks, hoping to show that they, in fact, have no choice.  
  
"Nani?" she heard the large one, dressed in white, says. "She can hear us from that far away?"  
  
Shudoshi laughs. "Do you think these are for decoration?" She can picture him pointing to his ears. He never did have much tolerance for dealing with humans.   
  
The short one, red hair and crossing scars on his cheek, moves forward. She had heard Taiyoryu mention this one specifically. He must be the leader. she reasons.  
  
"Maa, maa!" he yells in a calming tone. "Maybe we could talk about this?" he asks.  
  
"No." She could hear the voice echoing through out the woods. Che, Taiyoryu! Let me handle this! she thinks, knowing it's too late for that.  
  
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"No."  
  
They could hear it echoing through the woods, sounding like it's coming from everywhere at once. Kenshin could see the female in front of the carriage tense when the voice sounded.   
  
"Surely..." Megumi starts, but is quickly cut off.  
  
"The time for speeches ended when you attacked our people."  
  
Kenshin closes his eyes, concentrating on the voice. Facing away from the strange woman before the carriage, he opens his eyes. He stared straight into a tree a dozen feet away.  
  
"Akumu-san." he starts, but a laughter born of a thousand nightmares cuts him off.  
  
"Very good, Battousai." This time the voice does not echo or seem to be everywhere at once. "But, as I said, the time for talk is over." A sudden burst of movement in the shadows causes everyone to brace for a charge. When nothing but a handful of sand comes out, gently sprinkling over each of them, they look at each other in confusion.  
  
The confusion lasts only seconds, though, as they all collapse, one by one, to the ground.  
  
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"Was that really necessary?"  
  
The strange woman walks over to the carriage to free "Shudoshi", but it's obvious to Meiyomi ,the driver, that she is not talking to him.   
  
"Aa." The voice was the same one that had spoken to Himura-san, but it had changed some how. Before, it had sounded much like she had expected a demon would. Now, it was all business, sounding more like Fujita Goro than a demon.  
  
"Don't you think you were being a little dramatic?" she asks the darkness. "And come out here, please." she adds with exasperation.  
  
A cloaked figure, smaller than the female, the driver notes, steps out from the shadows, where Himura-san was staring just before they all collapsed.  
  
"Not at all." he answers softly. Meiyomi had to struggle to hear him. "They think us demons. They expected demons. I gave them demons."   
  
They began loading the bodies into the carriage. It was several moments later, when they had finally managed to get Sagara-san's body with-in the carriage, that she realized there was one of the demons missing. She turns away, still atop her seat, when the one they called "Akumu" was before her.   
  
"Sit." he says softly. She promptly sits back down. He waves the other two, the two with the skins of gold, into the carriage. From above she could hear the them speaking from with-in.  
  
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Looking at the hands of each, Shudoshi finds what he expects. Looking at the blisters on the hands of the one that defeated him, he says: "Fighter." He moves on to the large one in white. "Fighter." he says, again looking at the hands. So it is with each of them, until he reaches the last one. Long black hair hangs across her deep blue kimono. Taking her hand, he finds no blisters, no calluses that show the use of a weapon. Leaning close, he breaths in deep her scents.  
  
His eyes open wide as he steps back quickly. His hands drop to a dagger tucked in his sash. "Spell caster!" he yells as he puts his dagger to her throat. 


	8. Captured!

Chapter 8: Captured!  
  
Kenshin was just coming around as a quick movement shakes the carriage. "Spell caster!" he hears someone yell. The voice is that of the Seishin, as he calls himself, that they had captured. He opens his eyes slightly to see him holding a tanto to Megumi's throat. It is then that he realizes he's not bound. In fact, he notices, nobody is.  
  
Something to think about later.  
  
He looks for a way to get the tanto away from Megumi's throat with out cutting it. Before he finds it, though, a dark figure drops, literally, through the carriage door. His dark gray cloak wraps around him immediately, hiding his every feature, save his unique sword across his back.   
  
He examines Megumi's hand while the other continues to hold the tanto to her throat. "Not a warrior.." he hears the dark one murmur. He must be this "Akumu". Kenshin thinks.   
  
Akumu leans closer to Megumi, smelling the scents on her. "Ginseng, some kind of tree bark, among others." He looks around to the others in the carriage, noting specifically, it seems the injuries the each have. "She is a herbal healer," he says with certainty, "not a spell caster."   
  
"How can you know that?" the golden male demands.  
  
"She does not carry the stench of the ingredients used for offensive magic." he says tonelessly.  
  
"That means nothing!" the first insists. "She could be a cleric! I say we slit her throat, so we don't have to worry about it."  
  
The darkly cloaked one waves his arm about the inside of the cabin. "If she was a cleric, they would all have been healed by now." he says, no question in his mind. "Now, go atop with Noboru. Take us towards our hide out."  
  
The golden one stands stiffly, the look on his face showing what he thought of that command, then moves quickly out of the carriage, slamming the door behind him. With in seconds, the carriage was moving at a reasonable speed.  
  
"What do you plan to do with us?" Kenshin asks.  
  
Akumu, leaning comfortably against the side of the cabin, looks to Kenshin. His eyes glow bright red in the dark of the night. With his hood down, Kenshin can see him clearly for the first time. Dark, ebony skin with long, pure white hair, his glowing red eyes add an eerie glow to the dim light from the lanterns outside the carriage.   
  
I can see why he is called Akumu, the nightmare.   
  
"That," he says softly, his voice sounding more like his companions now, "depends all on you."  
  
Despite the softer tone to his voice, it still had a feel of absolute terror to it. It's almost as if, even when relaxed, he can't stop being scary.  
  
"You have not bound any of us." Kenshin notes, looking once more around the cabin.  
  
"Iie." Akumu says. "We are not barbarians, after all."  
  
"Just demons." Kenshin looks over to Sanosuke, who seems to have woken up half way through the conversation. For a moment, Kenshin feared that Akumu might outright kill Sanosuke. He surprises both by simply laughing. It was not the frightening laugh of his ally, but more like he had just heard a pleasant joke. Ignoring Sano, he looks back to Kenshin.  
  
"You called me Akumu." he says softly. "Earlier, before we captured you." he specifies. "Why?"  
  
"That is what..." Kenshin pauses for a moment, trying to remember the name given to the other one. "Shudoshi Hokasekai called you."  
  
Again, he laughs pleasantly. "It is nice to know Hokasekai still fears me." A smile plays across his lips. "It is nice to know that I have not lost my touch."  
  
"If that is not your name, then what is it?" Kenshin turns to look at Kaoru. She had not only regained consciousness, but also her composure. In fact, everyone had, by this time, regained consciousness. If she was afraid of this creature, she didn't let it show.  
  
"I am called Taiyoryu." he says.  
  
"Sun dragon?" Sanosuke mutters to himself.  
  
"Aa." Taiyoryu says to Sano. "Sun Dragon." He laughs once more as all the lights seem to go out.  
  
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"Wagon coming this way."  
  
Tejina-shi stands directly before his Shireikan. The human looks to him from under his large helm.   
  
"And?" he asks. "Wagons have come this way before. They have always gone past with out ever knowing we were here."  
  
"No, Shireikan." Tejina-shi reiterates. "They are coming this way."   
  
The way he stresses this leaves no doubt in Tengoku Hitokara's mind what Tejina-shi means. They have fought side by side for almost a decade now. If he says the wagon is coming to us, then I have no doubt it is. Tengoku thinks.   
  
"Very well." he says. "Prepare to receive guests."  
  
That is all he has to say as Tejina-shi bolts out of the cave, taking a position in a tree not far from the entrance. Tengoku stands just thirty feet inside the cave. In his heavy plate armour, he would never be able to climb a tree in time, or hide well enough, before this wagon arrived. He also knew that there was more to this wagon than what Tejina-shi said. Likely, he thinks, it is the ones he fought with earlier. A sigh escapes his lips as he thinks this.   
  
A carriage comes sliding to a stop before Tengoku. He looks up in disbelief at the driver, a human. A smile crosses his lips as he sees Shudoshi and Yoake on either side of her.  
  
Taiyoryu must be inside. he reasons. Aloud, he says, "Shudoshi. Yoake. It is good to see you again."  
  
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As the carriage comes to a stop, Kenshin can hear a heavy voice speaking.   
  
".... is good to see you again." it was saying as Taiyoryu opens the door.  
  
"We have only been gone a day." The woman says.  
  
Taiyoryu leads them all out. Kenshin spots his sword strapped securely to the top of the carriage. He had wondered where it was, but could not ask about it.  
  
As his eyes adjust to the low light inside the cave, he spots a large man in heavy metal armour.  
  
"You're human!" Yahiko blurts out.  
  
The man laughs loudly, a sharp contrast to those he seems to ally with. Both of the gold skinned Seishin bow to him respectfully. Then, Kenshin understands. This man is their commander. 


	9. Alliances

Chapter 9: Alliances  
  
"I am Tengoku Hitokara, Shireikan of the Akuma Ryoshi."   
  
The large human in heavy armour speaks loudly enough to be heard by all in the cave.  
  
"You have already met my officers." He points over to the seishin with the iron mallet, the one that had been captured. "That is Shudoshi Hokasekai." Shudoshi makes it a point not to acknowledge the introduction. He points over to the one with the strange knives, the one that sprouted wings. "Tejina-shi Shiranai." Tejina-shi bows slightly. Indicating the only female in the group, he says, "Yoake Noboru." She bows respectfully to the humans. "Taiyoryu Senshiyi." Tengoku looks around, but the last member of his group is not to be seen.  
  
Yoake almost has a sheepish look to her face. "You'll have to excuse Taiyoryu. He's not much of a people person."  
  
"That's okay," Yahiko says, "We've already met the Akumu."  
  
"What did you call him?" Tengoku sounds genuinely offended by the comment, but doesn't even look at Yahiko. Instead, everybody finds him looking at Shudoshi. Forcing himself to drop the comment, he urges them to follow him back to his 'office'.  
  
Everybody hesitates for a moment, unsure of what to do. When Kenshin follows, though, so do all.  
  
They find his 'office' to be little more than a cleaned and organized section of the cave. Taking a seat, he indicates that everyone should. Once all are seated, Tengoku continues.  
  
"You are wondering why you are all here." It was not so much a question as it was an acknowledgment of their curiosity. "Quite frankly, I am kind of curious about that, too. Taiyoryu was only to bring Shudoshi back, not all of you."  
  
"There is a storm coming," the voice comes from the shadows, making everyone start, including Tengoku. "As they are more useful alive, I thought it best to keep them that way."  
  
"Kuso, Taiyoryu! I wish you wouldn't do that." Tengoku says. "The others have a hard enough time accepting you. If you keep doing stuff like that..."  
  
"They will not accept me, either way. You know it. Are there any immediate question for me? I need to check the area before the storm gets here."  
  
"Nothing that cannot wait." Tengoku says. "Go do your search."  
  
The darkly cloaked figure ducks out of the cave, barely seen on the way out.  
  
"Well.." Tengoku starts.  
  
"You want us for allies." Kenshin asks. "Why? Against what?"  
  
"Aa. I want you for an ally. Why? That is a story. Some of it will be hard to believe."  
  
"Oi, baka." Sano says grumpily. "We were just abducted by demon-things. Your story is harder to believe than that?"  
  
"Maybe. Have you ever heard of Atarashiikami?" When everybody shows they've never heard of him, Tengoku continues. "He is from another land, one that cannot be reached through normal means. He has the powers of a god and is corrupt to the core."  
  
He looks out to the others and sees little more than confusion on their face. He continues anyway. "When he came to this land, he began tempting the young fighters to his side through powerful dreams the play at the weaknesses of his target. If one had a fear, the dreams would play right at it."  
  
When everybody exchanges glances with each other, he knows that they have experienced the tempting.  
  
"When we arrived, I sent Taiyoryu to scout for potential allies against Atarashiikami."  
  
"Why us?" Sano asks.  
  
Tengoku takes a deep breath for a moment, then releases it before speaking. "To be honest, you were not our first choice. Taiyoryu's reports recommended one.." he pauses to read a piece of parchment, "Saitou Hajime."  
  
A slight gasp escapes from Megumi. Tengoku continues. "The dark one seems to feel your non-killing policy would..." he pauses, as if looking for the right word. "interfere with what needs done."  
  
I had him followed to a small village not far from here, where he fought Atarashiikami's men, aided by..." he pauses again, looking once more at the sheet. "Shinomori Aoshi. They drove the warriors out of the village. That was the last we heard."  
  
Again, glances are exchanged. "If his warriors are already defeated, then what is the worry?" Sanosuke wonders aloud.  
  
"It was one small group routed." Tengoku says. "Besides this, Atarashiikami still has his general. Some one named Shishio."   
  
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They had been following the trail of the cultists for several hours and had stopped to rest for a few hours. The sun, now halfway through its climb, shines brightly, dispelling most of the shadows around and making the trail obvious.  
  
Movement to their right brings them both up short. Who ever it is has no real skill for stealth. More movement to their left tells them that there is more than one. A lot more than one. Aoshi thinks, listening to the rustling through the woods in, seemingly, all directions.   
  
A streak of brown fur can be seen for a moment as something skirts them.  
  
"A giant rat?" Saitou asks, wondering if Aoshi saw the same thing.  
  
"It was upright." Aoshi gives as his answer.  
  
"And held a sword," Saitou responds, unable to shake the feeling that this... creature was going to be something neither of them had seen before.  
  
Then, there was no more time to talk, as the creatures descended upon them. Barely three feet tall, the creatures have scaly hides of dark, rusty brown. The smell of a wet dogs and stagnant water. Their eyes glow bright red and two tan small horns rest on their forehead. Torn cloths covers their bodies and long, rat-like tails extend behind them.  
  
With their torn clothing, rat-like tails, and their dog-like yapping, Saitou finds he has a hard time taking them seriously. Even as the first two reach him, they fall quickly to his sword, reinforcing that opinion. Looking to Shinomori, he sees that Aoshi had slain two more, easily.   
  
Three more charge in from behind Saitou. Waiting for the last moment, the inspector spins to the side, removing the head of one with a quick swing of his blade. The creatures skid to a stop, turning to face him once again. Charging in once more, one creature falls as Saitou slides to the right, keeping it between him and the other creature, and thrusting hard at the creatures neck. With the beast still attached to his sword, he turns with the monster as it slides past him. With a quick snap of his wrist, Saitou sends the beasts dead body at it's companion. As it steps to the side to avoid the body, it runs straight into the sharp edge of the former Shinsen Gumi's sword.  
  
Aoshi, too, was having a hard time considering the strange creatures a threat. Their look and actions seem more fitting for a comedic theatrical show than a monster to inspire fear. With only one kodachi out, Aoshi spins left, then right, then left again. With each spin, he not only moved away from an attack, but also left a body on the ground.   
  
These creatures are pathetic. Aoshi thinks, as a handful of them come at Saitou and himself and die quickly.  
  
It's then, that Aoshi hears it. Looking around, he find over a dozen more of the creatures around them, but that was no worry to him. What catches his attention is what stands behind the creatures.  
  
The gray-green skin of the new creatures is contrasted by the course black hair. It's low jutting forehead and snout look out of place against it's short, pointed, wolf-like ears and it's sharp fangs that protrude from their lower lip. Their eyes look human enough, but for their reddish tint to them. With most nearing six feet in height, they stand out against the first creatures to attack.  
  
They are dressed in older armour, that would have been common shortly before the foreigners brought their rifles, but it is rusted and not well cared for. Their swords, also in poor condition, hang low to the ground because of their stooping posture. Aoshi looks around, finding that there are almost as many of this new creature as there are of the strange, rust-brown ones that first appeared.   
  
Grunting in a strange, barking language, the move forward with the smaller creatures leading the way. 


	10. Akuma Ryoshi

Chapter 10: Akuma Ryoshi  
  
Meiyomi watches as Taiyoryu exits the cave, quickly and barely seen. Kenshin and the others were still meeting with the man who seems to be in charge. This left only the Seishin around. She walks up to one, Shudoshi, intent on starting a conversation.  
  
"Ano.." she start cautiously. "Where's he going?"  
  
Shudoshi looks up from the book he seems to be studying intently. "Eh? Oh, Akumu... He's probably doing one last scout before the storm arrives."  
  
That caught Meiyomi by surprise. "Storm? But it's clear out."  
  
"It will be here before midday tomorrow." Yoake's pleasant voice floats over from where she sit, sharpening her sword. Seeing the look on Meiyomi's face, she continues. "Seishin are...." she pauses, looking for the right word, "more strongly connected to nature than are most humans. As a result, we feel the changes in nature, such as storms, before others do. Why do you ask?"  
  
"I'm just trying to figure out what's going on. I mean, I'm just a driver. I'm not a fighter like Kenshin's group. I'm not used to any of this."  
  
Yoake smiles. "I doubt they are used to this, either."   
  
"Hai. Ano.. What are you?"  
  
"Besides Seishin Minzoku?" Yoake asks. "As a group, we are called Akuma Ryoshi."  
  
Demon hunters. The name traps itself in her mind, leaving all kinds of questions. If you're not demons, she wonders, then what are?   
  
"Are all Seishin this attractive?" she asks suddenly.  
  
The question catches the young seishin off balance. She just stares at Meiyomi for a few seconds, then smiles sheepishly.  
  
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"Shishio Makata is dead." Kenshin says firmly.  
  
"Aa." Sanosuke adds. "I watched him die."  
  
Tengoku sits listening, unimpressed. "There are ways around death."   
  
"That's not possible." Kaoru insists. "Once you're dead, there's no coming back."  
  
"Is that so?" Tengoku looks at Kenshin. "During your last battle with Shishio, you fell." Tengoku's eyes bore into Kenshin. "You died and forced yourself to return to protect your friends."  
  
Kaoru, Yahiko, and Megumi all turn to stare at Kenshin as he lowers his head.  
  
Tengoku lowers his voice before continuing. "And that was pure force of will. Imagine what one can do when one can reach straight into the spirit world and pull a spirit out."  
  
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Yoake giggles like a little girl, Meiyomi can do little more than join in. The two had been sharing gossip for a while now and Meiyomi couldn't help but feel a budding friendship with the seishin. Finally, she couldn't avoid the question any farther.  
  
"What's the story with you and Taiyoryu?"  
  
"Taiyoryu? Well.." she gets a pensive look on her face and her voice takes a distant tone to it. "When I was much younger, my village was raided and destroyed. I survived only because I had chased a rabbit into the woods, thinking to make a pet of it. When I returned to the village..."  
  
She leans back against the stone wall. Her sword and sharpening tools had long since been put away. "When I returned to the village, all I found were burned husks of what was my home. That's when I saw Taiyoryu."  
  
"He destroyed your village?" Meiyomi says it with-out meaning to. The surprise in her voice is evident.   
  
"That's what I thought, too." Yoake answers, her voice barely audible. "He took me from there and raised me as his own." A faint smile crosses her face. "It took many years for me to understand it, but he never raided the village. He was looking for survivors. Over the next several years, I saw him do the same over and over again."  
  
Pride starts to fill her voice. "Over and over again, he would risk his life for people who spit on him and hate him for being what he is, instead of knowing who he is."  
  
"He's your father?" Meiyomi couldn't believe what she was hearing.  
  
"You sound relieved." Yoake teases. "Could it be you have plans for Taiyoryu?"  
  
Meiyomi blushes. "Well, he is rather handsome, like all of you.." she struggles to explain. Desperate for a way to change the subject, she asks about something that Yoake said. "What is he, that people hate him?"  
  
"He is Akumu. There's simply no better way to put it." She takes a deep breath before continuing. "His people are among the most evil in all of existence." Yoake can see the next question on Meiyomi's face. "He turned against their ways. Tengoku was the first in a long time to take the time to learn who he was, rather than hating him for what he was."  
  
"And now, you fight by Tengoku's side." Meiyomi finishes, finally understanding why Taiyoryu, and Yoake, to a lesser extent, were kept at arms length by the others.  
  
"Aa. When he asked father for help against Atarashiikami, he couldn't say no if he wanted too."  
  
Seeing it was time to change the subject, Meiyomi looks to Tejina-shi. "What about him?"  
  
"He was disfigured by a maho gone bad."  
  
Meiyomi studies the winged seishin. "You could have fooled me." she murmurs.  
  
Yoake giggles again. "The wings." she says between giggles. "They're not normal, even by our standard."  
  
"Oh. A magic spell caused that?" The tone in Meiyomi's voice shows that she isn't quite sure about believing in magic spells.  
  
"Aa. Tejina-shi is actually quite accomplished at it. The accident must have been when he was younger."  
  
"Oh." Meiyomi pauses. "What about him?" she points to Shudoshi. "He seems kind of jaded, compared to the rest of you."  
  
"Shudoshi isn't really jaded, he just doesn't trust most humans." She drops it at that.   
  
It's then that Meiyomi notices that the storm hit earlier than Yoake predicted. The cold wind from the sea brought heavy snow with it. It's a good thing they brought us in here. the carriage driver thinks. I would hate to be caught in that.   
  
"Oi!" she thinks suddenly. "Taiyoryu is still out in that!"  
  
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"You are certain that Shishio has been brought back?"  
  
Tengoku sighs heavily. "I'm not even completely sure who Shishio is. All I know is that Atarashiikami had plans to bring this warrior back to lead his armies."  
  
"And how do you know that?" Sanosuke demands.  
  
"Taiyoryu found a grave that had been dug up by the followers of Atarashiikami. According to the local officials, the grave was a fresh one that contained the remains of Shishio Makata. It fits his pattern perfectly. If he cannot find an appropriate general among the living, he pulls one from the dead."  
  
"You have been chasing this Atarashiikami for a long time." Kenshin says quietly.  
  
"Aa." Tengoku sits quietly for a moment. "I am part of a larger force that battled Atarashiikami in another land. Countless thousands died in that war, on both sides. It was a long, costly fight. It took years to get to the point where we could fight him directly. In that last battle, one hundred thousand stood against us. The battle raged on for three days before the baka-yarou fled the world. The Akuma Ryoshi, our group, was the only group to follow him through."  
  
He pauses for a moment, his voice dropping. "We were over a hundred strong when we chased him through that portal. Now, we are only five. We have chased him from world to world. Each time, we stop him from conquering, but fail to keep him from fleeing. Each time, I lose more officers."   
  
The weight of the war is obvious in the large mans voice. "Each time, I pray that we stop that bastard permanently. For all I know, the war still rages on our world." 


	11. Swords sheath

Chapter 11: Swords sheath  
  
Aoshi ducks a wild naginata swing from one of the larger monstrosities, returning a precise strike with one of his kodachi's. The strange creature barely has to block, though. Before Aoshi can put any power into the swing, two of the smaller, yapping creatures lung forward. His second kodachi flies up, parrying the weak thrusts of the swords, returning it with a strong thrust through the skull of one of the yapping creatures.  
  
Across the clearing, Saitou dodges a yari, only to come face to face with three of the small creatures, each with a kodachi sized sword. A quick slash of his katana relieves one of its head, but there are more, sending the former Shinsen Gumi dodging once more.   
  
And so it had gone for over an hour as Saitou and Aoshi dance among the strange monsters. Four of the larger monsters lay dead, eight of the smaller ones, as well. Any one of these creatures would cause no problem for either of these warriors. Unfortunately, there was far more than only one.  
  
The pair was slowly lessening the number of opponents, but they are beginning to tire and make mistakes. Both wear a dozen wounds, minor all, but they were beginning to take their toll.  
  
Sweat runs down Aoshi's forehead, mixing with the blood from a shallow slash just above his eyes, as he goes into another pattern of attacks, keeping three of the larger ones defensive while managing to take down another "yapper", as he had begun to think of them.  
  
Saitou grunts as he blocks the same yari as before, taking a weak slash on the chest. Turning with the hit, the inspector drops to a knee and slashes hard as he turns. The strike takes the smaller creature full in the side, bending it nearly complete. A high pitch squeal escapes it canine-like maw as it falls several feet away, clawing at the ground as it tries to stand.  
  
A sudden burst of freezing wind rips through the clearing, a reminder that winter is almost upon them. The sudden wind distracted the creatures long enough for three of the larger ones to fall.   
  
Aoshi smiles. Stupid creatures. he thinks. I'm not going to complain, though. This battle just turned.  
  
Indeed it had, but not the way Aoshi had expected. Snow comes in hard and fast with the wind. At first, it was just a minor problem, but the sudden cold begins to slow all of the fighters, wearing at their endurance, as well as their control, even their footing. Finally, the storm comes on so hard that the creatures are forced to flee. Even if they had not, Saitou and Aoshi would have had to do so before long.  
  
With the creatures gone, and in no condition to give chase, the two humans look for shelter from the harsh winter weather.  
  
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It's several hours into the storm before Taiyoryu returns to the cave. Shaking the snow from his cloak, he heads deep into the cave, right past the fires set to keep the rest of the occupants warm. He pauses only long enough to speak with Tengoku, giving his report of his last look around before taking shelter from the storm. That report, predictably, was nothing to be found.  
  
Moving quickly to the very back of the cave, he turns into the darkest section, a small cove that the torch light doesn't penetrate. Just inside the utter darkness, he pauses.  
  
"What are you doing in here?" he asks, his voice as quiet as ever.   
  
"I.." Meiyomi starts nervously. "I was just trying to see what it's like."  
  
"It's dark." he says tonelessly.  
  
"Not that." she says, starting to build in confidence. "I wanted to see what it would be like to travel with you."  
  
"What does sitting in the dark have to do with what it's like to travel with me?"  
  
"I.." Meiyomi starts, then drops it. She sighs, resigned, and is about to feel her way out of the small cove. Then her mind drifts back to her conversation with Yoake.   
  
They had spoken for hours, giggling like little girls at the gossip. When Meiyomi had thought they were done, and was starting to walk away, Yoake spoke up again, surprising her completely.  
  
"He's all alone, you know." Yoake said suddenly. "Taiyoryu." she specified. When Meiyomi had pointed out that he had Yoake, she waved that aside. "It's not the same." she had insisted. "I'm his daughter."   
  
The way she said that told Meiyomi exactly what she had meant. To be honest, she had come back into the darkest corner she could find to think with-out being bothered by the others. She was interested in Taiyoryu, but how interested? She had spent the last several hours thinking about it. When she realized that he was still out in the massive storm, she had been worried in a way that she hadn't expected. She had just gotten her nerve up to speak to him about it when he had walked in.  
  
And now I'm going to just walk away... she thinks. Not very likely. I've never run in my life.  
  
"Now listen here, Akuma-san." She spoke with no fear. "I'm here because of you. You're not chasing me off that fast."  
  
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It's all Yoake could do to keep from giggling again. She stood not far from the entrance to her fathers private area, eavesdropping on him and Meiyomi. Kaoru sees her and walks over.  
  
"What are you.." she starts. The young seishin girl hushes her quickly, staring into the a small area so dark that Kaoru couldn't see anything with-in.  
  
"That's right, let him have it." she mutters softly. A confused look crosses Kaoru's face, but Yoake keeps staring into the darkness. "Che, she's aggressive." She forces herself not to laugh, then waves her away from the cave entrance.  
  
"What are you doing?" Kaoru asks again, when they are several feet away.  
  
Yoake can't keep the smile from her face. "Every sword needs it's sheath." is all she says.  
  
Kaoru can't help but wonder why that sounds familiar.  
  
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Neither Taiyoryu, nor Meiyomi, are seen again until the next day. The storm still raged outside, leaving everybody to stuck in the cave. Tengoku instructs Shudoshi to use his powers to heal Kenshin, then Kaoru, Sanosuke, and Yahiko.   
  
A warm feeling courses through Kenshin, accompanied by the pricks of thousands of needles as Shudoshi kneels over him, muttering in some unknown language. Kenshin winces in pain as he feels his wounds knit themselves together and his muscles regain the strength stolen from them by his injuries. Testing Shudoshi's work, Kenshin takes a few practice swings with his reverse-blade sword. His legs no longer wanted to buckle under him as he executed his Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu techniques, nor did his arms protest as he used the god-like speed inherent with the style.  
  
"Don't worry, Megumi-dono" Kenshin says when he sees the neglected look on her face. "Your skill will always be needed."  
  
"Aa." Tengoku breaks in. "Shudoshi is the only one in this land who can do this. When we leave, there will be none. Your skills will still be needed."  
  
"Hai, Ken-san." Megumi says, "But I can't help but wonder what the price of this magical healing is."  
  
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"So," Sanosuke starts, watching as Kenshin tests his new found strength, "What good does all this do? We don't even know where your Atarashiikami is."  
  
"We don't?" Tejina-shi says.  
  
"Oi! You mean you know where he's at!?"  
  
"Aa." the winged seishin says. "He kind of sticks out. We ride against him when the storm ends." 


	12. Ambush

Chapter 12: Ambush  
  
The storm finally eases off after two days of being stuck in the cave. Meiyomi drives the carriage our of the cavern, Kenshin, Kaoru, Sanosuke, Yahiko, Megumi, and Tengoku with-in. They plan for Megumi to wait with Meiyomi when the actual battle starts. This way, the two can stay out of harms way, hopefully, while refusing to be left behind. The rest of the Akuma Ryoshi disappeared into the woods around the carriage.  
  
"Don't worry." Tengoku said when Yahiko asked about it. "They'll wait up for the carriage." A wink accompanies his words. His confidence in them could be heard in his voice as he continues. "Besides, they'll keep an eye out for tracks, trails, and ambushes."  
  
Tejina-shi insists that Atarashiikami's hiding place is not far, only a couple days ride. The snow lays thick across their path as Meiyomi works their way through the wooded mountain side. Thus far, there have been few signs that there was much of anything running around out here, let alone an ambush. Still, none of the seishin seemed to show any interest at all in staying with the cabin.  
  
Meiyomi looked around regularly, hoping to catch sight of Taiyoryu. She smiles as she thinks about the last couple days, when they were held inside the cave by the storm. She can feel her cheeks warm with the thoughts.   
  
"Stop the carriage."  
  
The soft tone snaps her out of her reverie. Looking to the side, she sees Yoake easily pacing the slow moving carriage. Meiyomi nods, bringing the carriage to a stop.  
  
Kenshin opens the door. "What is it Yoake-dono?"   
  
"Ambush, Kenshin-san."  
  
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Where they are? wondered the form half buried in the new fallen snow. Gurak and his companions have laid in wait for the most of the day. Usually, they weren't so patient, but when Atarashiikami ordered something, you did well not to question.  
  
Finally, the wagon pulls into view, two decent mares pulling it and four lanterns, one on either corner of the wagon, lighting the area around it. A feral grin crosses Gurak's ugly face as the wagon approaches.   
  
Waiting for it to come beside him, the creature bursts forth from his snowy hiding place. His lanky body covered in the varying browns of thick furs. His course black hair hangs in contrast to the oily dull gray skin of his face. A wakizashi in his right hand, he stalks towards the wagon.   
  
The sudden movement and the heavy crunching of his step betrays his presence. He knew this and expected it, though, and used it as a signal to the rest of his fighters to come out.  
  
As he approaches the wagon, the driver pulls it to a stop. She stares at him cautiously, but shows no fear or surprise.  
  
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As soon as Meiyomi saw the strange creature, she pulled the carriage to a stop, as they had planned. She was ready for the sudden appearance, but the sheer appearance of it made her stomach turn. Thankfully, large, heavy furs covered most of its body. It's head showed, though. The greenish-yellow of its two fangs protruding from its bottom lip stands out against it's dull gray skin, which contrasts its course black hair. Of course, all of this stands in contrast to the light brown of the deer hides it wrapped itself in to keep warm.   
  
A wakizashi rests firmly in it's right claw-like hand. It crunches heavily towards the carriage as more and more of these creatures appear. As Meiyomi looks around, her heart drops slightly as the carriage is completely surrounded by the creatures.  
  
The carriage door opens and Kenshin climbs out, followed by the others. Megumi climbs up with Meiyomi, hoping to stay out of the way. Neither are fighters, so the two women try to keep the horses reigned in while not being in the way.  
  
Kenshin steps to the front of the horses, preparing to draw his blade. Kaoru, to his right, holds her bokken before her in a strong offensive stance. Sanosuke, to Kenshin's left, cracks his knuckles in anticipation for the coming fight against these strange creatures. Tengoku stands behind the carriage, his heavy European style sword resting against his shoulder and metal shield in his left hand. Yahiko, to his right, brandishes his shinai anxiously. The five of them are spread out evenly, completely surrounding the carriage.   
  
The beasts begin to advance, slowly at first, then moving in more freely.   
  
Kenshin ducks the clumsy swing of a naginata from one, then draws his blade as he steps forward, bringing it hard into the chest of a beast coming in with a wakizashi. The first beast, over-balanced from his swing with the naginata, can't get the pole-arm in line fast enough to block the sword of the battousai as he reverses his motion, bringing it hard to the forehead of the stupid creature.  
  
Kaoru, while not as fast as Kenshin, blocks a club of one beast. The surprising strength of the creature nearly knocks her from her feet, but she pivots with the block, using the momentum to speed her bokken as she brings the club out wide and smashes several ribs with her bokken. The strange creature collapses, clutching its side and gasping for breath.   
  
"Too slow." Sanosuke mutters as he dances between the swings of the beasts. A sword-wielder to his right, a yari to his left, and Sanosuke between them, and they hit each other more often than they come close to hitting him. A swift rising strike to the one on his right brings it down. Moving quickly, he stoops, grabbing the strange blade of the creature. It's a lot smaller and lighter than Zanbatou, he thinks, but it'll do.  
  
Yahiko dodges to his left as a heavy axe crashes down where he just stood. "Oi, baka," he taunts, "You can't hurt me if you move that slow." The creature growls at him, then swings wide, level with the ground. Yahiko easily ducks it. As he rises, he thrusts out with his shinai, catching it on the chin, knocking it off its feet. It rolls for a moment, moaning, then Yahiko walks up to hit, hitting it once more over the head, silencing it, at least for a while.  
  
Tengoku brings up his metal shield, blocking an over-head strike from an axe, then thrusts out with his sword. The blade sinks to its hilt. The creature cries in agony as Tengoku yanks his blade out of it, then sinks to the ground, not moving farther. I'm the only one around the wagon with no qualms of killing, it seems. he thinks, looking over to the others, who seem content with simply stopping them. A tachi arches at him, drawing him from his reverie. Angling his body back and left, he lets the thinner blade bounce off his armour, causing sparks to fly. As his body turns, he brings his blade up and through the monsters arm and throat, sending it gurgling to the ground, thrashing for several moments before it dies.  
  
Looking around, he sees that the battle was nearly over. That can't be it.. he thinks.   
  
Sudden movement in the woods shows dozens more of the creatures.   
I hate being right. he thinks as he braces for the next wave. 


	13. The true ambush

Chapter 13: The true ambush  
  
The creatures move in towards the carriage, holding their weapons menacingly before them. The first attack failed, as the defenders reacted quicker than they were expected to. Now, as the second attack approaches, the beasts out number the defenders six to one. The sneer on the wretched faces of each shows that they believe they have the advantage. Their inhuman growls send shivers through Megumi, as she watches them moving into the clearing.  
  
As they rush in to attack, Kenshin slips to the side, delivering the blunt edge of his sakabatou to the ribs of the first monstrosity, then its fuchi kashira to the jaw of the next, staggering both. Yahiko defends against the rapid, yet unskilled, attacks of one with a tanto with ease. A quick thrust of his shinai smashes the creatures jaw, removing it from the battle. Kaoru strikes hard and fast against the first creature that approaches her, putting it quickly on the defensive, unable to counter, until, finally, Kaoru's bokken smashes hard against the beasts wrist, breaking it. Sanosuke throws the weird sword that he had taken from a creature earlier at the next one to come to close. Striking blade first, it carves a shallow wound in its chest, causing the beast to hesitate for just a moment. That moment is all Sanosuke needs, as his fist smashes its nose and rending it unconscious. Tengoku moves his sword in short, sure motions as he severs several small, but vital muscles in the creatures arms each time it attacks. By the time it realizes what is being done, it can no longer move it's sword arm to defend itself and Tengoku runs it through with ease.  
  
All of this happens in the matter of seconds, causing the creatures that had not yet reached the defenders to slow their assault. Holding a cautious distance, they wait for the rest of the force to reach them.  
  
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Not far from the carriage, Tejina-shi glides down, landing softly, then folds his wings under his course green cloak. Crouching low and drawing his katars, the strange knives of his, he waits for the signal from the others. To his left, forty feet in front of him, he sees the signal from Shudoshi telling him that the monk is ready. To his right, sixty feet before him, Yoake gives the same signal. The three, in unison, come from their hiding places, charging the center. The surprised creatures in the center, back up for the ones attacking the carriage, come from their hiding places with in the field in an attempt to defend themselves.  
  
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At the carriage, the sudden war cry from the right brings a snarl of superiority from the beasts, until the ring of metal on metal reaches their ears, telling them that their aid would not be coming from that side. Nervous glances are exchanged among the creatures as a gout of flame erupting suddenly confirms their fears. Their commander merely shrugs, a smirk on his face showing it has one more trick. Grabbing a whistle from it's belt, it puts it to its lips, puffing hard.  
  
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A shrill note sounds through out the woods. At the signal, tall creatures rise from the high grass. Their long, thin legs end in three-toed feet, their arms in wide, powerful hands with sharp claws. Their rough hide is mottled green and gray. A writhing, hair-like mass protrudes from the top of their skull, greenish black in colour. Their eyes sink deep into their skulls, giving them the appearance of having none in dim light.  
  
They begin to move towards the carriage, walking upright, but with the forward hunch of sagged shoulders. Their gait is uneven and awkward looking. Looks, though, can be deceiving.  
  
"Oi, kappa." a voice says, soft yet threatening.  
  
The creatures come to a halt, seeing a small, darkly cloaked figure emerge from the shadows. Drawing his sharply curved blade, a dark smile reaches Taiyoryu's lips as he stalks in.  
  
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The cries of pain from their left tell the creatures facing the defenders that they were suddenly quite alone. The glances shared between them tells the defenders that the attacking monsters had just lost their courage with their back up.  
  
A laugh erupts from Tengoku, echoing throughout the clearing. "Okay, Kenshin-Gumi," he yells, hoping it means the same in their language as it does where he's from, "Play time's over. Take them down!"  
  
"Like we have to be told!" Yahiko yells as he charges in, beating one beasts mallet to the side, then smashing it across the neck on the return swing. A loud crack resonates as the beasts head lolls to the side impossibly. Yahiko staggers back, inspecting his shinai. "That had to be the shinai cracking.." he mutters to himself.  
  
Sanosuke swings the club he had taken from one beast fallen next to him in an upward motion, striking the jaw of one of the monsters as it staggered in unsure of itself. Even as it falls backward, another takes its place, only to be beaten over the head as Sano brings the club back down.  
  
Kaoru slips to the side, bringing her bokken hard against the ribs of on creature, then coming back and striking it's back. "Kamiya Kasshin Ryu, Kami Okotta Kobushi!" she yells as the strike hits.  
  
Kenshin ducks away from a naginata, the blade missing his head by a hairs breath. Instantly, he reverses his direction, moving back in as soon as the blade was past, sakabatou leading the way. One deft turn of the wrist and the back of the sword meets the wood handle of the pole-arm, slicing it cleanly in two. Allowing his momentum to carry through, he snaps the front of the blade to the beasts chin.   
  
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Bolts of energy leave his fingers as Tejina-shi aims his hands at one of the creatures. The bolts of strange energy strike against the chest of a beast, dropping it instantly. Moving his arms in flowing gestures, a ghostly hand appears before him, them moves towards the creatures, grabbing one and squeezing it until it dies, crushed.  
  
Across the clearing, Shudoshi grabs a handful of seeds from a tree's frozen fruit, smashed under his feet. Muttering quietly, he casts the seeds at three of the creatures not far from him. Landing at their feet, he mutters once more and the seeds erupt burst into flame. The three unfortunate creatures find themselves burning mercilessly.   
  
Yoake's sword drips with the blood of the beasts as she feels the sting of several minor cuts. Her breathing, though, is steady, her eyes focused, as she senses movement to her right. A vicious slash removes a leg, just below the knee cap. As the beast falls, screaming in pain, Yoake stands over it. With out so much as a word, she thrusts the tip of her double sided blade through the back of its head.  
  
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The battle at the carriage ends as Kenshin blocks the downward arc of a strange looking short sword, then returns the attack, striking the creature at the head.   
  
"Oi!" Tengoku yells, "Is everyone okay?"  
  
"Aa." Sano says, coming to stand next to Kenshin and Kaoru. The battle to their right was over and the three seishin involved walk into view.   
  
"What a mess." Yoake says, looking at the carnage wrought by Kenshin and the others. He attention seems to fall to the back of the cart, where Yahiko still stands, staring down at the creatures. "What's wrong with Yahiko? Was this is first battle?"  
  
"Iie." Kaoru says, worried suddenly, as she runs over to his side.  
  
The sounds of battle still rage to the left of the carriage. "He's still fighting over there?" Yoake asks.  
  
"So it seems." Shudoshi says. "He must be getting old."  
  
"Aren't you going to help him?" Meiyomi asks from the top of the carriage.  
  
The three look at each other, hesitant. "I'm not getting in his way." Yoake says finally.  
  
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Meiyomi couldn't believe she just heard his own daughter refuse to help him. Jumping down from the carriage, she runs through the woods the short distance to the edge of the clearing where Taiyoryu stands fighting the strange creatures. She freezes at the edge, terrified by what she sees.  
  
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"Oi, Yahiko-chan." Kaoru says softly as she approaches the young warrior. After everything that he's been through, she thinks, I can't believe that this bothers him that much.  
  
Yahiko doesn't look up at her call. He can feel her standing next to him as he stares down at a creature that he had defeated not long ago.  
  
"Kaoru-san." he says softly, taking Kaoru by surprise with his respectful tone. "I thought I broke my shinai during the fight."   
  
Kaoru gets a confused look on her face. They had broken shinai and bokken during fights before. In fact, she had broken one over Sanosuke's head the day he told her that Kenshin was leaving to prepare to fight Udoh Jinei.   
  
"It.." Yahiko stops.   
  
Kami... It sounds like he's about to cry. Kaoru thinks to herself.  
  
"It wasn't the shinai." he says finally. "I killed it Kaoru." 


	14. Consequences

Chapter 14: Consequences  
  
Meiyomi was already back on the top of the carriage by the time Taiyoryu returned to the group. Kenshin-gumi was already back in the carriage. Tengoku was getting ready to climb in. Nodding to the Akumu, he closes to the carriage door. Taiyoryu looks up to Meiyomi, hoping to see a smile, but she refused to even look his way.   
  
As the carriage pulls out, slowly, jerkily, Akuma Ryoshi goes back to their positions, scouting the trail and area around it. Only Taiyoryu remained at the battle sight.   
  
I wonder what that was about. The thought enters his mind as he thinks about Meiyomi's reaction as he entered the clearing. She wouldn't even look at me.  
  
Forcing the thought from his mind, he set about his work. I can't believe how many they left alive. I told Shireikan their precious no-killing policy would make things almost impossible.   
  
Drawing a small dagger, he moves about the field. Every time he finds a beast left alive, he remedies that with a quick, precise slash with the dagger.  
  
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"But, I killed it!" Yahiko yells.   
  
Kenshin and Kaoru sat on either side of him, trying to calm the young man. Tengoku merely shrugs.  
  
"It wasn't human, Yahiko-san." he says. "Your 'non-killing policy' isn't broken. It merely doesn't apply to these creatures."  
  
"You don't understand!" Yahiko yells at him. "If there's one thing I learned from Kenshin and Kaoru, it's killing is killing, regardless of who it is."  
  
"Yahiko-san." Kenshin says, his voice tight. "You are right, of course. It doesn't matter who it is."  
  
Yahiko gulps audibly. This is what he was fearing. He had broken the greatest rule that Kenshin and Kaoru had put down for themselves, and for others.  
  
"You murdered that thing, Yahiko. Nothing will change that."  
  
Yahiko's heart sinks with this words. I knew it. Kenshin-san and Kaoru-san want nothing to do with me now.  
  
"The only thing you can do is redeem yourself, Yahiko-san. Your remorse is obvious. Now, you have to protect others until you have redeemed yourself."  
  
Yahiko feels a weight leave his shoulders. He stares, unbelieving, at Kenshin. "Demo.."  
  
"This is no light thing, Yahiko-san. It will take a lot for you to redeem yourself. It will be hard on you. I will be hard on you." Kenshin says.   
  
Yahiko takes a deep breath, thinking it over. He looks down, dejected, and nods.   
  
It's all Tengoku can do to keep from laughing.   
  
"What are you about, baka-yarou?" Sanosuke demands.  
  
"Nothing, really." Tengoku says. "I'm trying to respect your ways, but, in my land, Yahiko-san would considered a hero for killing that beast. Here, he is considered a murderer and told he has to repent. It is almost enough to make me laugh." He looks over to Yahiko, his head still drooped, then adds, "Almost..."  
  
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The snow starts to give way and the carriage begins to move a little faster. The weather is still warm enough that the snow melts during the day. With out farther snow storms, the snow has been lessening the entire way. The lessening of the snow means that Meiyomi doesn't have to concentrate as much on driving the horses.  
  
Her mind keeps falling back to Taiyoryu in the woods, fighting the kappa. The memories of watching the battle are enough to make her shudder.  
  
"Our stop is just ahead."  
  
The soft voice of Yoake snaps Meiyomi from her thoughts. She glances over to the seishin, nodding, then begins to prepare the horses to stop. Yoake slips into the seat next to the driver.  
  
"A mon for your thoughts."  
  
Meiyomi curses to herself. To Yoake, though, she asks, "Shouldn't you be scouting the area?"  
  
She shakes her head. "The other three can do that. You look like you have something on your mind."  
  
Meiyomi pauses, hesitant to speak with her. Finally, she decides that she has too.   
  
"I saw Taiyoryu-san fighting those... things." she says.  
  
"And it bothers you to see him in that state. The state of the Ryoshi."  
  
Meiyomi looks at her, confusion and anger vying for control. As bad as she wants to know what that means, this state of the ryoshi, her anger won out.  
  
"That thing I saw fighting in those woods couldn't have been Taiyoryu-san! It was.. was..." She fought for the words, trying to find the ones that best fit what she wanted to say. In the end, there are none.  
  
"Hai." Yoake says softly. "That was Taiyoryu-san, my father. Now you see why people fear him, hate him. When he gets like that, he's little different from the rest of his people." She pauses, taking a deep breath. "If it bothers you that much to see him that way, you shouldn't have gone to see him fighting."  
  
Yoake begins climbing down from the seat, back to the ground, when Meiyomi's next words froze her.  
  
"You mean, like you didn't?"   
  
Yoake nods softly. "Like I didn't." With that, she swings down.  
  
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The door to the carriage opens and Yoake swings in. "We're approaching the opening for Atarashiikami's fortress."  
  
"Arigatou, Yoake-san" Kenshin says.  
  
"We need a plan." Yoake says, staring directly at Tengoku.  
  
He nods silently, the beginnings of a plan already unfolding in his quick mind. 


	15. The beginning of the end...

Chapter 15: The beginning of the end.  
  
"No! I refuse!" The voice of Taiyoryu is just loud enough to carry over that of his Shireikan, Tengoku. Considering how quiet he always is, this is quite an outburst for him.  
  
"Taiyoryu-san." Tengoku says, "Be reasonable."  
  
"I am being reasonable." he says, his tone cold enough it even put Kenshin on edge. "You are not sending my daughter in against Atarashiikami."  
  
"What would you suggest, then, baka?" Sano says roughly.  
  
Taiyoryu stares coldly at Sano. "Send me instead. For all my daughters skills, she's still no match for me. If she's no match for me, then Atarashiikami will destroy her."  
  
Tejina-shi shakes his head. "That's what Atarashiikami will expect. He will design his spells specifically for you. If someone else goes, there's a strong chance his spells won't work on them."  
  
"Taiyoryu-san, you know he's right." Shudoshi says.  
  
"She'll still need help for the physical combat." the darkly cloaked figure insists.  
  
"Send Kenshin-san." Yahiko says. "I bet he could even beat your Akumu, here." he jerks a thumb towards Taiyoryu.   
  
The Akumu bristles at that. Not for the challenge of his skill, for the fact that the brat was putting his daughter in harms way.  
  
"Sorry, Yahiko-chan." the worried father says. "With Kenshin-sans precious 'no-kill policy', he won't be able to get the job done."  
  
Sanosuke laughs. "Do you realize that everybody that has ever said that has had to eat their words?"  
  
Taiyoryu growls. "And what will I be doing? Standing cleaning the yard?"  
  
"So, that's it." Kaoru says. "You're angry that someone else will be doing the dangerous stuff."  
  
"No. I'm angry because my daughter is being sent to do my job."  
  
"Maa, maa, Taiyoryu-san." Tengoku says. "Are you ready to hear the rest of the plan?"  
  
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As Akuma Ryoshi and Kenshin-Gumi approach the newly raised fortress, everyone stands in awe of the strangely beautiful structure.  
  
Made of strange white rock, there are small gray patterns that are part of the rock, giving it a strangely pleasing look. Towering precipices stand immensely tall, strange plant growth all along their incredible heights. Coloured glass is present in every window, often cut into some design showing strange creatures slaying men. The courtyard is immense, easily large enough to house the entire of the Kamiya dojo several times over.  
  
"I.." Sanosuke says, "I don't remember this being here. During the revolution, we often camped near here."  
  
"It wasn't." Tengoku says. "Atarashiikami raises one everywhere he goes. It's an ego thing."  
  
As they gape at the incredible workmanship, movement to each side of the courtyard catches their attention. To the left, strange creatures, much larger than anything Kenshin-Gumi has seen thus far.   
  
Black as the darkest night and half again as tall as Sanosuke, these beasts are the things of nightmares, indeed. Pure white hair rests atop of rock-like black skin. Its eyes, dead and devoid of pupils, are the same white of its hair. Long, jagged teeth line their mouths, as they emit a howl that sent shivers through those assembled to fight them. Long, arms, thick as a mature tree, end in three large claws. Black, scaly wings rest from their backs as a tail swings gently to an unheard rhythm behind them.  
  
From the other side, much less scary in appearance, but no less lethal if given a chance, several human warriors wander into view. They seem to scan the heroes assembled and breath a sigh of relief. The two that had chased them from the village weren't here.  
  
"Sanosuke-san, Kaoru-san, Yahiko-san. Can you handle those warriors?" Tengoku asks.  
  
"Hai." Kaoru says confidently.   
  
"Oi, this will be boring." Sanosuke complains.  
  
"Hai." Yahiko says, less confidently.   
  
"Good, Tejina-shi, Shudoshi, and I will keep these things busy while you go break your new toys. But, hurry back. I'm sure we'll use the help."  
  
He turns to look at Kenshin, Taiyoryu, and Yoake. It's obvious that Taiyoryu still doesn't like the plan, but he finally agreed to it. "Why are you still here? Oisogi!!"  
  
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Kenshin, Taiyoryu, and Yoake charge through the immense keep, putting down what ever minor resistance that they happen across. None of them were really sure where they were going, but, where ever it was, they had better get there fast.  
  
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Kaoru looks at Yahiko's face and sees the reason for the lack of confidence. Oh... Yahiko-san's still worried about killing that creature on accident. "Yahiko-san. No holding back, but keep control." she says, hoping to snap him out of his rut.  
  
"Hai, hai"   
  
Kaoru looks over to Sanosuke, hoping that he could snap Yahiko out of it. Going into a fight with distractions like that often winds up fatal. Then, they have no more time to speak, as the warriors charge in.  
  
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The three members of Akuma Ryoshi left outside exchange glances at each other.  
  
"Oi, Tengoku-sama!" Tejina-shi yells. "I want a raise when we're done here!"  
  
Laughing gently among themselves, those accused of being demons by Sanosuke drew their weapons and prepared for the onslaught of the real demons.  
  
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Megumi sat atop of the carriage, looking around. From where they were at, both her and Meiyomi could see parts of the battle. They could see the strange creatures coming out, as they expected. They also noticed the human warriors coming around the corner, and that there were less of them than was expected. Megumi took this as a good sign as she looked over to Meiyomi. As they sat waiting, they also sat, prepared. Should any of them be injured, Megumi planned to be there as fast as she could run to do what she could. 


	16. Battle in the courtyard

Chapter 16: Battle in the courtyard  
  
Tejina-shi leaps out of the way as a huge claw crashes down where he just stood. His wings unfold and carry him higher into the sky, drawing one of the winged monsters to follow him.   
  
Good. he thinks. That only leaves two others on the ground for them to worry about. If I can keep this one busy long enough...  
  
Tengoku, seeing Tejina-shi take off, followed by one of the beasts, presses harder. His long sword, handed down in his family for more generations than any cared to count, was among the sharpest in existence. Even it, though, barely did much to these creatures.   
  
Out of pure reflex, he tries dodging to the side, only to be clipped by a large claw. His armour took the brunt of the blow, but there's no telling how many more hits like that it could take. Even after that first one, he could feel the chain armour that protects his waist starting to bind and lock, restricting his movement.   
  
Rolling to his feet, he brings his large shield before him, his family crest painted proudly on the surface. A sudden impact knocks him back several feet. Refusing to give up his shield, he brings his sword arcing before the shield. It's then, that he realizes that it was the creatures tail that struck his shield, piercing it with it's poisonous barb. He manages to avert his eyes as the sharp edge meets the poison sac in the tail, sending poison all across his shield, his sword, and the monster staggering away in pain.  
  
Shudoshi, facing the third of the creatures, utters a word in a language barely known on any world, holding an engraved mirror before him. Speaking louder and louder, starting in a murmur, working its way to a yell, he advances on the beast as it steps back, wincing in pain, unable to look at the monk. Finally, as it collides with another of its kind, the one wounded by Tengoku's sword, it looks at the mirror that the monk holds.  
  
Screaming in pain, the beast begins to smolder and smoke, which drifts towards the monk and into the mirror. The creature begins to fade as the smoke increases. Finally, when the creature is no more, the smoke is gone, Shudoshi throws the mirror as high as he can. The mirror begins to glow as it rises in the air. As it reaches the pinnacle of its rise, the glow is bright enough to almost be a second sun. A sudden explosion sends shards of glass across the court yard.  
  
Blocking his face from the falling glass, Shudoshi breaths a sigh of relief as he checks on Tejina-shi, ensuring his friend survived the blast. When he turns his attention back to the matter at hand, he finds the wounded creatures standing over him. He glances up just in time to see a large claw falling in his direction.  
  
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Sanosuke doesn't hesitate a moment, bringing his fists in quick and hard on the first of the attackers. There weren't many, really, compared to some of the fights he's been in. Spinning as his first punch connects, he continues the motion as he brings his leg high, catching the second fighter in the head.  
  
"Hrmp." Sanosuke sounds, disappointed. "I thought this would be a real fight."  
  
Kaoru's bokken has taken a beating these last few days, and it's starting to weaken. She can feel it as she blocks strike after strike from the attackers blades. If my bokken is getting this weak, then what's Yahiko-san's shinai doing. she wonders. With a swift series of attacks, Kaoru beats aside the katana of one man, using the return swing to catch him across the jaw, sending him sprawling. The bokken crosses in front of her, catching the wrist of a second offender, knocking the katana from his hand. With a fast lunge forward, she strikes the man in the chest, taking the wind and the fight from him in one blow.  
  
Yahiko ducks and dodges as he tries to get a shot in on the body of his attacker. He has had numerous head shots, but has refused to take them, intent of avoiding killing any one again. He ducks once more, then finds an opening, striking against the mans knees. Dropping the katana instantly, he falls straight into Yahiko's rising strike, knocking him out of the fight.  
  
"Che." he says to himself, catching his breath. "I'm going to have to get a whole new shinai." He looks at his current weapon, noting all of the nicks and broken bamboo, as well as the ties that are completely destroyed. "Definitely going to need a new shinai." His breath caught, he rushes to Sanosuke's side in time to block a thrust to Sano's side.  
  
"I could have blocked that." Sano says gruffly.  
  
Yahiko couldn't help but laugh. "Dou itashimashite, Tori-atama."  
  
Looking to Kaoru's side, Yahiko sees a man coming up behind her, sword back in a charging thrust position. "Kaoru!!" he yells, charging. Ramming Kaoru in the side, Yahiko knocks her out of the way of the strike from behind.   
  
Rolling to her feet, she looks at where she had just been, the warrior charging from behind had struck the warrior she was fighting. The way he fell left little doubt that he was dead. "Arigatou, Yahiko-san." Kaoru says, patting him on the shoulder as she rose.   
  
Yahiko, though, didn't stand. Grimacing in pain, he clutches his side. "Go on, Kaoru-sensei. Finish the fight."  
  
"Oi, Jou-chan." Sanosuke says, not far off. "Get Yahiko-chan to Megumi. I'll play with your friends for you."   
  
Kaoru looks back at Sano as he wades through four warriors with katanas, none of them giving him a problem. She nods, then grabs Yahiko and runs for where they left Megumi and Meiyomi.  
  
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Megumi watched in horror as Yahiko is struck saving Kaoru. She felt better as she watched Kaoru pulling Yahiko to his feet and started towards her.   
  
"Go." she says to Meiyomi.   
  
The driver looks at her for a moment, unsure of what to do. Upon seeing Kaoru running out of the fight, carrying a very bloody looking Yahiko, her mind is made up, though. Sending the horses into a full gallop, she charges down the hill, towards the keep. Bringing the wagon to a halt next to Kaoru, she watches as Megumi jumps down.  
  
Opening her medicine bag, she starts treating Yahiko's wound. "It's not as bad as it could be." she says. "He should live."  
  
"Good." he says. "Send me back into the fight, then."  
  
"Yahiko-san," Kaoru tells him quietly. "Your injury is still pretty bad. You need to rest here for a little bit."  
  
"Hai. For once, Tanuki-onna makes sense." Kaoru is about to let Megumi have it when Megumi looks at her and winks slightly.  
  
"Yoshi." Yahiko says softly. "If the two of you are agreeing, then something must really be wrong."  
  
Kaoru nods at Megumi, then runs back into the keep just in time to Shudoshi lifted from the ground by one of the two strange creatures, and lifted to its mouth. Blood and ichor rain down as it jaws close.  
  
"Iie!"  
  
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Kenshin, Taiyoryu, and Yoake run through the halls. Finally, Kenshin comes to a stop, bringing Taiyoryu and Yoake to a stop with him.  
  
"Shishio." he says softly.  
  
Taiyoryu stares at the doors in the side of the hall. "I guess this is where we split up, then."  
  
"Aa." The two stare at each other as the two communicate unspoken thoughts.   
  
With a sudden burst of movement, Kenshin bursts through the doors containing Shishio while Taiyoryu charges farther down the hall and into the main vestibule, where Atarashiikami stood waiting for him. Yoake stood there confused for a moment, then just realized that they plan just went to hell. Intent on salvaging what she could, she charged down the hall, turning in where her father went 


	17. Losses

Chapter 17: Losses  
  
Tejina-shi flew in circles, sending burst of magic energy after burst of energy back at the creature. Smoke and steam streams from many places on its body. Much more of this, and the creature is as good as gone. the winged seishin thinks.  
  
"Iie!"  
  
It rings out from below, bringing the Akuma Ryoshi member's attention to the battle below. Blood and gore spread from the remaining demons mouth. He quickly scans the battle, finding two warriors for his side missing.  
  
Turning behind him, he unleashes one final burst of energy at the charging beast, then dives hard towards the ground. The demon, wounded and angered, follows. Tejina-shi turns himself slightly during the dive, finding his target. As he nears the ground, he sees the silken clad remains of his closest friend and increases the dive. Howling in rage, his pursuer does the same.  
  
Just before reaching his target, the demon below, he jerks himself hard to the side. The swooping beast, not as agile, is unable to avoid crashing into the other demon. As the two tumble, the smoke becomes thicker. With no mystical mirror to channel it this time, though, it merely rises until there is nothing left of either beast.   
  
Tengoku, watching the demons dissolve, runs to Tejina-shi's side. The winged seishin crashed hard into the strange stone wall and now lies there, blood soaking his clothing and matting his hair.  
  
"Owaru?" he asks weakly.  
  
"Aa, Tejina-shi-san. It is finished. You won." Tengoku says softly.   
  
He nods slightly, then lets his last breath out.  
  
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"Konnichiwa, Battousai."  
  
Shishio breathes deep the smoke from his pipe while Kenshin stands before him.  
  
"You are surprised to see me? You thought I was dead?" He stares at Kenshin, who merely stands there, hand tensed before his sword.  
  
"The silent treatment, Battousai? Something's not right with you. You haven't even asked about my miraculous healing." Shishio says, reaching up and pulling his bandages from his face. As the bandages fall, they reveal the unblemished face of Shishio Makato. He reveled in the lack of scars and the gentle breeze playing across his face.  
  
"Other things have been changed, as well." he says, reaching for his katana.   
  
Drawing and charging in one motion, his blade meets Kenshins as they dance and vie for position. Shishio brings his blade down against the stone, racking it hard across the surface. Sparks fly as the tip catches and flames shroud the tip.   
  
Kenshin steps to the side as the sword arcs past him, coming in hard with strike after strike of his own. Shishio slips back, edging away from the range of Kenshin's sword. Sweat drips from his forehead as he circles Kenshin.  
  
"Aa." Shishio says. "No quarter hour time limit on our battle this time. I have all the time I wish to kill you."  
  
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"Chikusho, otosan, what do you think you're doing?"  
  
Yoake slides to a stop just inside a large room. Large tapestries fill the corners, hanging from the immensely high ceiling. Statues of strange creatures line the walls, carved of the same strange rock as the building. Fine carpets of red and blue cover the floor, lanterns hang from the walls and ceiling.   
  
Before Taiyoryu stands a man of middle age. His fine lacquered armour shines in the torch light as he pats the handles of his tachi with the right hand and katana with the left. His long, black hair is pulled back and tied in the top knot typical for the warrior class of the land.  
  
"Do you like it?" his deep voice rumbles through the room, seeming to cause it to shake, his right hand moving to indicate his face. "I had to make it to get the humans here to follow me."  
  
"Atarashiikami." Taiyoryu says loudly. "I give you this one chance to surrender."  
  
Yoake turns to stare at her father. Surrender? A confused look crosses her face.  
  
Atarashiikami evil laugh ricochets through out the large room.  
  
"I knew they'd send you." Atarashiikami says. "I am ready for you. Do your worst."   
  
Taiyoryu begins stalking towards Atarashiikami when a sudden burst of energy erupts from the floor. Taiyoryu is caught in the center of the blast while Atarashiikami laugh rises once more.  
  
"Come now, Akumu. That was too easy." he taunts. "You must have been getting old and tired. I guess we fixed that, though."  
  
"Murderer!" Yoake screams as she runs in, her double bladed sword leading the way. Atarashiikami's hand flies to his tachi, drawing and countering the young seishin's attack with ease. A kick to her stomach sends her backwards and to the floor.  
  
Delight sparkles in Atarashiikami's eyes. "Mo, mo, mo. What have we here? It's been awhile since I've had any physical pleasure."   
  
"Aa, Atarashiikami. At it will be longer yet." The voice sounds behind him.  
  
Atarashiikami turns to she a human instead of Taiyoryu, as he had been expecting. "Who are you!" he demands.  
  
"Himura. Kenshin. I will defeat you NOW!" As he yells 'now', his battle aura fills the room.  
  
"Yoi, Himura-san. I could feel that even over here. Tell me, can you feel this!"   
  
He releases bolts of energy from his finger tips that streak straight towards Kenshin, striking him square in the chest. Kenshin doesn't even blink.  
  
"Your tricks will not work on me." His voice fills the room. "You designed them too specific for the Akumu."  
  
With a wordless roar of anger, Atarashiikami charges Kenshin, his tachi striking hard against Kenshins sakabatou. Kenshin feints left, then rolls right as Atarashiikami slashes where he just stood, but finds himself just facing empty space. A swift kick straight back sends Kenshin rolling against the hard stone floor.  
  
"Ah." Atarashiikami says softly. "The fabled god-like speed." An evil gleam fills his face. "Let's see how it does against the real thing." 


	18. End game

Chapter 18: End game  
  
Kenshin suddenly finds himself pressed in a way that he had only twice before. Both times, it had been against Seta Sojiro, the boy who, not only matched his speed, but surpassed it. So it is now, with Atarashiikami moving so fast that Kenshin's Hiten Mitsurugi predictions barely warns him in time to avoid.  
  
Not far off, he sees Yoake standing with the enchanted mirror that was part of their plan, her sword in the other, waiting for a chance to strike. Atarashiikami, it seems, is making a conscious effort not to look in her direction. Rolling to avoid a slash from Atarashiikami's tachi, he comes to his feet with Yoake to his back.  
  
As the creature comes in for his next attack, he hesitates, giving Kenshin the opening he needs to finally open an offense. Sakabatou leaping from its scabbard, Kenshin plants it hard into the creatures ribs. As it lands hard, Yoake moves forward, mirror before her, trying to get the creature to stare into the mirror.  
  
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Metal on metal sounds hard as Kenshin and Shishio clash. The battle is starting to take it's toll on the warriors. Shishio's breathing is rougher than before, several small wounds cover his chest and arms. Kenshin, however, doesn't seem to be tiring at all.  
  
With a roar of anger, Shishio rushes in. Kenshin ducks to the side, ready to bring his weapon down on Shishio's exposed head. The reborn man-slayer, though, has seen this move before, and spins, slashing down hard.  
  
A roar of pain tears from his lips. As he falls back, "Kenshin" melts away, leaving a strange creature of ebony skin.   
  
The creature rolls back, away from the melting illusion, clutching the ruined right side of his face. He stands and resheaths his katana, the sword seemingly disappearing under his cloak.  
  
"What are you?" Shishio can barely ask, fear and awe mixing as he stares at the creature who wordlessly stands and sheaths his sword.  
  
His hand falls from his face, showing the deep wound carved by Shishio's blade. "I am the Akumu." he says softly. "I am here to drag you back to hell."  
  
Shishio stares at the creature, his mouth working slowly, soundlessly.  
  
"What's the matter, Shishio Makato?" the advancing creature asks him. "Surely you knew you are not the true ruler of hell."  
  
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Taiyoryu was only guessing about Shishio's believed position in the worlds hell. It would not surprise him overly is this Shishio staged a revolt in hell. The one illusion ruined by the strike to the face, he works about creating a new one with merely words.  
  
"We knew all along you would be returned. We wanted you to believe you ruled and would rule again when you returned." He advances another step towards the now shaking Shishio. "When you are returned to hell, you will not be in any condition to rule. I am here to guarantee that."  
  
With mild pomp, he draws his favored blade, the strange curved one that rests against his back. "You showed me your burning blade." he says. "Let me return the favor." The curved blade erupts in blue flame as Taiyoryu holds it before him.  
  
Shishio looks as if he is about to crawl inside himself. "Stand up, pathetic usurper."  
  
Shishio roars in an anger unknown to the sane. Katana in hand, he charges Taiyoryu. Taiyoryu slips to the side, opposite what he had moved to last time, and rakes his flaming sword across Shishio's body. Taiyoryu continues slashing Shishio's body, taking him apart, literally, piece by piece. Finally, when nothing remained but a bloody body unable to move, Taiyoryu stands over him.  
  
"Time to return to hell." he says softly as the light begins to fade from Shishio's eyes. A strong downwards slice removes Shishio's head from his shoulders. "Let's see you rule hell like that."  
  
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Yoake moves closer to Atarashiikami from the front, Kenshin comes from the side. Yoake's mysterious I Ching mirror is held before her. Atarashiikami looks like he's about to charge in, when Yoake lashes out with her sword, trying to force the creature to look at the mirror. Roaring in pain, it lashes out, striking Yoake in the chest with his tachi.  
  
Screaming, she falls back, careful not to break the mirror that was their only hope. Kenshin rushes in, grabbing her and pulling her to the side.  
  
"Yoake-dono. Are you okay?" he asks her.  
  
"No." she says, her voice quiet. Motioning her head towards their advancing attacker, she says, "Finish the fight. I'll just sit here and watch."  
  
Kenshin knew that she probably wouldn't make it back out of the keep alive, but they both new they had a duty to do. Nodding, Kenshin steps before her, sakabatou in sheath.   
  
"This ends now." He waits for Atarashiikami's charge to nearly reach him, then yells, " Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu, Ouki Ama-Kakeru-Ryu-No-Hirameki!"   
  
Charging forward himself, Kenshin waits for the last possible moment, before unsheathing his reverse-blade sword and smashing it hard into the chest of Atarashiikami. As the creature flies over him, he pivots, barely slowing. "Ryu Sho Sen!" he yells, leaping into the air. As the sakabatou crashes against the creatures shoulder, Kenshin turns in air, yelling, "Ryu Tsui Sen!" By the time Kenshin has finished turning in the air, Atarashiikami is beneath him, lined up perfectly for the falling strike of Ryu Tsui Sen.  
  
The strange rock floor shatters as the powerful technique crashes into the demon leaders prone body. Yoake staggers over to the shattered body of Atarashiikami, it's human form starting to waver and smoke. Holding the mirror before her, she forces it into the demon lords sight. The smoke immediately starts being drawn into it. With in seconds, the creature is nothing but smoke, blowing straight into the mirror.  
  
"Go." Yoake tells Kenshin.   
  
"Iie, Yoake-dono." Kenshin says, standing next to her. "We came in together, we walk out together."  
  
The glow of the mirror grows brighter as they stand there arguing. Yoake finally just nod, turning to head for the door. Instead, she pivots quickly, planting her fist on Kenshin's jaw. "Stubborn human." he hears her mutter as she staggers into a corner.   
  
Wrapping the mirror with her body, she can only hope that it will be enough to shield Kenshin from the blast.  
  
Even as the mirror erupts, she hears her father yelling her name. 


	19. Epilogue

Chapter 19: Epilogue  
  
Kenshin emerges from the keep as it begins shaking. With out the magic of Atarashiikami, the building can't hold itself together.  
  
He walks over to the carriage, first noticing that Yahiko was injured, then that two of the Akuma Ryoshi were laying to the side, or what was left of them. His heart jumps with joy as he watches Kaoru moving about, fighting with Sanosuke, then sinks as he watches Tengoku gathering the remains of Shudoshi, scattered about.  
  
"Kenshin!" Kaoru yells, seeing him the moment he enters the courtyard. Running to him, she wraps her arms around his neck tight enough to cut off his air.  
  
"Oro." Kenshin turns, returning Kaoru's hug, enjoying the feel of her against him. They stood that way for several seconds, until Tengoku cleared his throat.  
  
"Where are Taiyoryu and Yoake?" he asks, worry running across his face.   
  
Before Kenshin can answer, Taiyoryu walks out, carrying the shredded remains of his daughter. He pauses as he sees the remains of Tejina-shi and Shudoshi, then walks over and lays his daughter with them.  
  
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The trip back to the cave was a long one, filled with long stints of silence, broken only briefly as Yahiko fought against Megumi's bandaging. The remains of the Akuma Ryoshi are strapped to the top of the carriage, while Kenshin rides up front with Meiyomi, so that Yahiko and Taiyoryu, who were both sorely injured, could have their injuries attended too.  
  
The keep collapsed before they were a mile away, leaving little more than a pile of rubble and dust that may never settle. By the time they reach the cave, Yahiko's energy is returning, but the cloud of the creatures death at his hands still haunts his face.   
  
Tengoku has barely spoken since the battle, Taiyoryu hasn't spoken at all. It's obvious that Taiyoryu holds Tengoku responsible for what happened to his daughter. Will he ever forgive his friend? Kaoru can't help but wonder. Taiyoryu remains silent, distant, even as he prepares the spells to take them home.  
  
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Preparations finished, litters for the remains made, Taiyoryu begins the casting of the spell. After an hour of chanting, a bright blue portal opens before the gathered heroes.  
  
As he watches Tengoku steps towards the portal that will take them home, he hears a familiar voice.  
  
"Are you going, too?"   
  
Taiyoryu turns to see Meiyomi standing there. "Unless I have a reason to stay." he says softly.  
  
Slowly, gently, he reaches his right hand towards her face. Just before he touches her cheek, Meiyomi flinches away slightly, fear crossing her eyes. Sighing resignedly, Taiyoryu takes up the remaining litter, with Yoake's remains, and steps through the portal. The bright blue ovoid shape melts back into the ground quickly, barring any from following.  
  
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"Maa, maa, Kaoru-dono." Kenshin says as the carriage works its way back to Tokyo. "He's not much different than I was. He just hasn't found what he needs to break through."  
  
Kaoru looks at Kenshin, having a hard time believing that he was ever like Taiyoryu. "Kenshin-san." she says softly. "What was it that finally broke you out of... what ever he's going through?"  
  
The rurouni hesitates for a moment, looking around the cabin of the wagon, at Sanosuke, Yahiko, and Megumi, before answering. "You." he says softly enough that Kaoru, right next to him, couldn't be sure he'd actually said anything.  
  
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The trip back to Tokyo seems the longest trip that Meiyomi Agaru has taken. Everywhere she would look, she saw the ghosts of the Akuma Ryoshi and Taiyoryu. The bitter tears of regret sting her face and eyes as the cold winter wind rushes hard against her exposed face. 


	20. Authors notes

Authors notes:  
  
1: I realized after I posted the story that I mispelled Shishio Makoto. Through-out the story, I use Makato, when it is supposed to be Makoto. My appologies.  
  
2: I also noticed that all of my 'thoughts' are no longer italisized. I will try to find a way to fix that before I post again. Gomen Nasai.  
  
3: All standard disclaimers apply. I do not own Rurouni Kenshin, or related characters. The Akuma Ryoshi, though, are from my mind. 


End file.
